32 



BULLETIN 297, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



ripening at Newell about July 20. The straw is short and the grains 

 small and yellow. They are the best varieties for growing on the dry 

 farms in the Belle Fourche section. 



Table XVII. — Average dates of heading and maturity, weight per bushel, and yields of 

 five leading varieties of oats on the Belle Fourche Experiment Farm, 1908 to 1913, 



inclusive. 



Group and variety. 



C.I, 



No. 



Date of— 



"Weight 



per 

 bushel. 



Yield per acre. 



Heading. 



Maturity . 



Grain. 



Straw. 



Early: 



459 

 165 



444 

 134 



551 



June 27 

 June 26 



July 8 

 July 9 



July IS 



July 20 

 July 17 



July 29 

 Aug. 2 



Aug. 8 



Pounds. 

 30.8 

 30.9 



34.5 

 28.2 



30.4 



Bushels. 

 19.3 

 19.4 



15.6 

 15.5 



14.6 



Pounds. 

 800 





720 



Midseason: 



1,080 





930 



Late: 



White Russian 



1,040 



The Canadian is a medium-early oat which has averaged 4 bushels 

 less than the Sixty-Day and Kherson at Newell for the six years. 

 The yield of straw, however, is greater. The heads are large and 

 spreading, and the kernels are white, broad, and very short. This 

 variety matures about 10 days later than the Kherson. 



The Swedish Select is extensively grown in the more humid regions 

 to the eastward, but it is rather too late for sowing in western South 

 Dakota. This is a white oat with kernels of medium length, rather 

 broad, and usually bearing a strong, black awn. It matures about 

 five days later than the Canadian and about two weeks later than the 

 Kherson and Sixty-Day. 



The Big Four is quite similar to the Swedish Select except that the 

 awns are few and weak. It has produced rather better yields than 

 the Swedish Select at Newell each year since 1909, when it was added 

 to the test. For the four years from 1910 to 1913 this variety was 

 exceeded in average yield only by the Kherson and Sixty-Day and by 

 two pure-line selections of the latter variety. It is apparently the 

 best of the midseason and late varieties which have been included in 

 the test. 



White Russian is a late side oat, with long and rather slender white 

 kernels. The average yield of this variety for the six years is slightly 

 lower than that of the Swedish Select and Canadian. It matures 

 about one week later than the Swedish Select and about three weeks 

 later than the Kherson and Sixty-Day. It can not be recommended 

 for growing in the Great Plains. 



KATEOF-SEEDING TEST OF OATS. 



A rate-of-seeding test with oats was conducted on the Belle Fourche 

 Experiment Farm in 1909, 1910, 1912, and 1913. In L909 and 1910 

 the Kherson and in 1912 and 1913 the Sixty-Day varieties were 



