182 NORTHEAST EXPERIMENT FARM. 
divided into pastures, fields and lanes. Thereis now 2276 
rods of fencing of which 770 rods is 5-wired sheep fence, the 
rest 3 and 2 wired for cattle. 
Before the state had acquired it, the farm had been con- 
siderably developed, and devoted largely toraising potatoes. 
Much of the land that had been cleared was brush land, and 
was not difficult to get into shape. The acreage under the 
plow at that time approximated 601% acres. At the present 
time there is 11234 acres under cultivation, from which the 
stumps have all been removed, making a total of 52% acres. 
cleared and stumped since’96. The stumps have been pulled 
but not removed on 5 acres, and on 3% acres all brushing is 
completed. This with 5 acres inthe buildings and yards, 
brings the total of improved land to 126% acres. 
Open ditches were dug to drain the low places, connect- 
ing the west side of the farm with the river on the east, the 
length of which aggregates 355 rods. The barnyard, sheep 
and hog yards are fenced with woven wire. 
OATS. 
The commercial grain crop of this section is pre.eminent- 
ly oats. Not only is thiscrop necessary for horse feed on the 
farm, but thereis a constant demand for oats as long as 
logging operations continue. With a necessarily small acre- 
age on a new farm devoted to grain, it would be unwise to 
raise wheat and buy oats for the team. Probably nine- 
tenths of the grain raised in the counties of Northeastern 
Minnesota will be oats for many years to come. 
No grain varies so in quality as oats, due to the greater 
or less degree of fullness of the kernel. This is affected by 
the season, and by the climate. Oats from northern regions 
are heavier than those grown farther south, as a rule. 
Varieties of oats differ from one another very greatly, some 
being much heavier and larger yielders than others, regard- 
less of the climate or season. It costs just as much to raise 
a poor oat as a good one, and the difference is clear profit 
to the farmer. The testing of varieties of oats has there- 
fore been one of the chief aims of the work. During the seven 
years, forty-three kinds have been tried. To make the test 
as true as possible, the kinds tested are sown side by side in 
