FIELD CROPS 391 



Vitality of Oats and Barley Before and After Bleaching. 



It will be noted that an average of 86.92 per cent of the kernels 

 of the unbleached oats germinated, whereas an average of only 

 68.14 per cent of the sulphur-bleached kernels germinated, being 

 an average of 18.78 per cent less germination in the sulphur- 

 bleached than in the unbleached oats. 



With barley the percentage of germination was also found to 

 be lowered by tne treatment. The average germination of the un- 

 bleached barley was 91.72 per cent, while the average of the sul- 

 phur-bleached barley was only 73.45 per cent, being 18.27 per cent 

 lower than the unbleached barley. In a few instances, it will be 

 noted, the percentage of germination of the bleached grain was de- 

 cidedly lower than the check, which is accounted for by the fact 

 that these particular lots had been twice bleached, showing that the 

 vitality of the grain is reduced in proportion to the seventy of the 

 treatment. 



Feeding Experiment. In these investigations no attempt was 

 made to determine the effect of sulphur-bleached oats on the health 

 of animals. However, for the purpose of ascertaining whether or 

 not horses would eat sulphur-bleached oats as readily as unbleached 

 oats, a feeding experiment was carried on at the Arlington Experi- 

 ment Farm, near Washington, D. C., in co-operation with Prof. L. 

 C. Corbett, Horticulturist in Charge, with two teams of farm horses 

 and one team of carriage horses used by the Department of Agri- 

 culture. 



The first part of the experiment extended through a period^ of 

 15 days and was confined to 2 teams of horses, which were being 

 worked on the farm at the time, after which, for a 5-day period, the 

 carriage team was fed. Sulphur-bleached and unbleached oats in 



