CEREAL EXPERIMENTS AT DICKINSON, N. DAK. 29 



it has always been one of the best yielding oats. For the seven years 

 from 1907 to 1913, it ranks third in yield. It is first of all varieties 

 in yield for the five years 1908, 1909, 1911, 1912, and 1913, with an 

 average of 56.6 bushels. For the four years 1909, 1911, 1912, and 

 1913, it is first in both actual and computed yield. This variety of 

 oats should be better known and more widely grown. It succeeds on 

 a great variety of soils. The straw is fine, but very strong. The 

 panicle, though small, has numerous dense, erect branches. The ker- 

 nels are golden, not especially attractive in appearance, but give the 

 highest average weight per bushel cf all varieties tested. 



Victory. — The Victory cat (C. I. No. 560) was obtained in 1908 

 from the same source as the Golden Rain. Like that variety it is 

 a pure line, having been developed from a single plant. It is the 

 leading white oat at Svalof. It has been on trial six years at Dick- 

 inson, but the crop one year was destroyed by hail. For the five 

 years in which yields have been recorded it ranks next to the Golden 

 Rain, with an average yield cf 2.7 bushels less than that variety. For 

 the four years 1909 and 1911 to 1913, it has equaled the actual yield 

 of the Early Mountain, but falls slightly below that variety in com- 

 puted yield. The straw is perhaps stiffer than the Golden Eain, and 

 it can therefore be grown on richer land without lodging. The 

 panicle is rather small, but dense, with stiff branches. (Fig. 5.) The 

 grain is white, of medium size, short and broad, and only occasion- 

 ally awned. 



THE MEDIUM-LATE GROUP. 



Only one medium-late variety has been continued in the trials at 

 Dickinson. This variety, Banner (C. I. No. 160), requires about a 

 week longer to mature than the medium-early varieties. It is an 

 old and well-known variety and is typical of the oats generally grown 

 in the State. The stock used in the trial was obtained from the 

 experimental farm at Indian Head, Saskatchewan. The yields have 

 been slightly above the average of all varieties tested. While it has 

 yielded slightly more than the early varieties, it should not be recom- 

 mended in preference to them, as its later maturity makes it more 

 susceptible to less by hail, drought, frost, etc. 



THE EAELY GROUP. 



Early-maturing oats have yielded well at Dickinson, especially in 

 the drier years. The most promising varieties of this group are the 

 Kherson (C. I. No. 459) and the Sixty-Day (C. I. No. 165). * These 

 varieties are very similar in appearance, having short, slender straw, 

 small, open panicles (fig. 5), and small, slender, yellowish white, 

 awnless grain. Both varieties were obtained from southern Russia, 



1 For a full discussion of the Sixty-Day and Kherson varieties of oats, see Warburton, 

 C. W., " Sixty-Day and Kherson oats," U. S. Dept. Agr., Farmers' Bui. 395, 27 p., 5 figs., 

 1910, 



