CEREAL EXPERIMENTS AT DICKINSON, N. DAK. 43 



The primary object of the experimental work has been to deter- 

 mine the relative yielding power of different varieties of cereals, to 

 discover varieties better than those ordinarily grown, and to improve 

 the yield of the leading varieties. 



The usual size of the plats on which the tests were conducted was 

 one-tenth of an acre. Check plats were used to determine the soil 

 variations. 



The varietal tests have included 53 varieties and strains of spring 

 wheat, 38 of spring oats, 16 of spring barley, and a number of vari- 

 eties of winter wheat, winter and spring rye, and emmer. 



Spring varieties of all the cereals, except rye, are better adapted 

 than winter varieties. 



The average yield of all varieties of spring wheat for the six 

 years 1907 to 1911 and 1913 was 22 bushels. 



Of the spring- wheat varieties, the durum group has given the best 

 yields. The fifes and the bearded fifes yielded practically the same, 

 ranking next to the durums in yield. The bluestem group, com- 

 monly grown in North Dakota, is comparatively low in yield. 



The Kubanka is the leading variety of durum wheat. The Ghirka 

 is the leading variety of fife wheat. 



Spring wheat is usually in head at Dickinson by the middle of 

 July and is ripe by the middle of August. The average date of head- 

 ing and the average date of ripening varied widely with different 

 varieties. The Ghirka, Bearded Fife, and Marquis are early varie- 

 ties. This character is important for drought-resistant or drought- 

 escaping cereals. 



The yield of straw and the weight per bushel of the bearded fife 

 varieties are less than those of the durums, but more than of the 

 fifes and bluestems.' 



Milling and baking tests for 1911 and 1913 show that the different 

 groups of wheat rank as follows in yield of straight flour: Blue- 

 stem, durum, bearded fife, and fife. The durum variety Kubanka 

 No. 8, a pure-line selection, gave the highest average percentage of 

 flour. In volume of loaf the groups rank as follows: Bluestem, 

 fife, bearded fife, and durum. The fife variety White Fife gave 

 the highest average loaf volume of any variety. 



The yield of winter wheat has been low as compared with spring 

 wheat, the stand in all seasons being greatly reduced by winter- 

 killing. 



The average yield of all varieties of oats for the seven years 1907 

 to 1913 was 47.7 bushels. The groups of oats rank in yield in the 

 following order: Medium early, medium late, early, and late. 



The Early Mountain variety has given the highest actual yields 

 for the seven years, 54.1 bushels. On 5-year and 4-year averages the 



