EXPERIMENTS WITH KHERSON AND SIXTY-DAY OATS. 69 



as ill the subhumid portion of the section just to the east, mentioned 

 in the preceding paragraph. 



Except at the higher altitudes in the northern Great Plains and 

 at the extreme north, Kherson and Sixty-Day oats usually slightly 

 outyield other varieties. In central and western North Dakota the 

 climatic conditions usually favor the larger midseason varieties. 



In the western basin and coast areas, under dry-land conditions, 

 Kherson and Sixty-Day produce nearly as high yields as the best 

 midseason varieties and frequently are preferable, especially in 

 those sections with high altitudes and a short growing season. 



Under irrigation in the western United States, midseason white 

 varieties, such as Silvermine, Swedish Select, and Early Mountain, 

 are the most desirable to grow, except that in sections where early 

 rosts may be expected the early varieties, Kherson and Sixty-Day, 

 are recommended. Better results than were expected have been ob- 

 tained from these early short-strawed varieties when grown under 

 irrigation in comparison with the larger and later varieties. 



YIELD OF STRAW, BUSHEL WEIGHT, AND IMPROVEMENT 



DATA. 



Primarily because of the characteristic short, slender culms of the 

 Kherson and Sixty-Day varieties, they do not produce large yields of 

 straw. In sections where straw is relatively valuable for feed, 

 varieties that are low in yield of straw frequently are undesirable. 

 On the average, these early varieties produce from 20 to 30 per cent 

 less straw than the midseason varieties. 



In weight per bushel, oats of the Kherson and Sixty-Day type 

 usually fall several pounds below the larger kerneled midseason 

 varieties. This lower weight per measured bushel, however, is more 

 than offset by the lower percentage of hull, which gives them a higher 

 feeding value than other varieties. 



One of the objections made most frequently against the early 

 varieties, Kherson and Sixty-Day, is the yellow color of the kernel. 

 In order to eliminate this" somewhat undesirable character a number 

 of white-kerneled strains have been developed by selection from the 

 original varieties. Several of these are of considerable promise and 

 are now being grown commercially. Some excellent yellow strains 

 also have been developed. Of these, the most conspicuous is the 

 Richland, a very high-yielding short-strawed variety developed by 

 the Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station, in cooperation with the 

 Office of Cereal Investigations. As yet no variety of any impor- 

 tance has been developed from crosses between the KLerson or 

 Sixty-Day and other varieties. 



