VARIETIES OF OATS 285 



384. Germination. — Saunders has reported the average ger- 

 mination of four samples of oats during six years as follows •. 

 90, 93, 78, 67, 54 and 30 per cent. The viability- was greater 

 than with wheat, barley, peas or flax.^ Kinzel found that the 

 percentage of germinable seed steadily increased for eight to 

 ten months, after which there was a decrease.' The Ohio 

 Station found an average yield during five years of fort}'-eight 

 bushels per acre where seed of the previous year's growth wcis 

 used, and fort}'-five bushels per acre where seed was one year 

 older.^ 



The Wisconsin Station reports that soaking oats in a solution 

 of two and one-half parts of fonnaldehyde to 1,000 parts of 

 water decreased germination from six to seventeen per cent.* 

 An increased yield has been obser\-ed in some instances from 

 hot water and potassium sulphide treatment beyond that result- 

 ing from replacing smutted panicles with sound ones. This may 

 be explained by supposing that many plants are attacked with 

 smut without developing spores when seed is not treated, and 

 by its possible higher germinative energ}-. Kellerman found 

 that treatment with hot water and potassium sulphide generally 

 caused better and greater germination;^ while the Wyoming 

 Station found copper sulphate, hot water and potassium sul- 

 phide generally injurious. 



III. VARIETIES. 



385. Classification. — There are spring and winter (fall; 

 varieties of oats. The winter varieties are principally grown 

 south of the southern boundary of Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri 

 and Kansas, or about 37° N. Lat., where they are the chief 



1 Can. Expt. Farms Rpt. 1903, p. 44. 



2 Landw. Vers. Stat. 54 (1900), Xo. 1-2, p. 123, 

 8 Ohio Bui. 138 (1903), p. 4S. 



4 Wis. Rpt. 1902, p. 26S. 



6 Ohio Bui, 3 Tech. ser. (1893), p. 201, 



