120 



Early sorts 

 for the far 

 north. 



growth of the former, promise to become of special value for the production 

 of green fodder. One of these forms, having the stock-book number 0193, 

 gave in 1905 and 1910 the highest yield of grain of all sorts tested, but during 

 the intervening years its behavior was less satisfactory. 



A sister sort 0298, which also inherited some of the high yielding prop- 

 erties of Probstier and at the same time possesses a more luxuriant vegeta- 

 tion than even Black Tartarian has again been crossed with the latter. This 

 is another good example of repeated crossing. 



For the extreme northern sections where oat growing is at all possible 

 a few very early sorts have been brought out. The highest yielder of these 

 thus far tested at Lulea is Number 0668, a pedigree out of a common northern 

 variety. The quality of this sort, however, is low, so it has been crossed 

 with Ligowo (0353) with a view to obtaining in combination with its own 

 early maturity, some of the high quality of the latter sort. An early line 

 from this cross (0353 X 0668} has given promising results in experiments 

 conducted in Northern Sweden, the quality being excellent. This line will 

 come on the market in the very near future. 



0670, Svaldfs' Moss oat, a pure line taken from the common German 

 Moss variety, is, like the latter, most useful in such districts and under such 

 conditions as demand the very earliest ripening sorts. On the wet cold 

 peat soils of Sweden this sort has as yet been unsurpassed, although under 

 more favorable conditions it cannot compete in yield with the sorts previously 

 discussed. The only advantage claimed for this sort over the common 

 variety from which it was taken is its purity. Not infrequently, however, 

 has the common composite variety been awarded a higher place than the 

 pedigree sort. In order to obtain a sort combining stiffer straw and higher 

 yielding capacity with the very early maturity of this sort it has been crossed 

 with Gold Rain. 0670 came on the market in the spring of 1911. 



Black Mesdag, a pedigree sort obtained from Vilmorin of France, re- 

 sembles the foregoing sort closely in practical qualities. In weight per 

 bushel it is somewhat higher, but in proportion of kernel to hull it is lower. It 

 is also inclined to thresh out easily at maturity. 



0660 is a pedigree sort out of a variety commonly grown in Northern 

 Finland. It is a very early sort with very stiff evenly developed straw but 

 with small light kernels. 



0353 (Ligowo) X 0660 ->s a crossing which aims to unite the very early 

 ripening properties of the latter with the high quality of the former. A 

 line from this crossing has given excellent results in trials conducted in the 

 northern regions, and will come on the market at a very early date. 



Each of the sorts above described as well as certain foreign sorts under 

 investigation, thirty-six sorts in all, occupied a place in the large compara- 

 tive trial plots on the Experimental grounds at Svalof in 1910. In addition 

 to these were sixty preliminary trial plots, 338 small pedigree plots and five 

 plots devoted to the multiplication of elite stocks. The field numbers for 

 these plots run consecutively from 37 to 441 thus: 



