CEREAL EXPERIMENTS IN MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA. 41 



were grown from 1911 to 1913. During these years they produced 

 slightly larger yields than any other varieties included in the tests 

 except the Red Rustproof selection, C. I. No. 518-3. Like most com- 

 mercial stocks of the Red Rustproof, they contained a considerahle 

 mixture of other varieties and hence were discarded after the 1913 

 crop was harvested. A pure-lino selection from tho Red Rustproof, 

 C. I. No. 518-3, has been grown from 1911 to 1914, with an average 

 yield of 43.59 bushels to the acre. This average yield is 2\ bushels 

 higher than that of the best Culberson selection and 3 bushels higher 

 than that of the best Winter Turf. 



Winter Turf. — The panicles of the Winter Turf oat are medium to 

 large, containing about the same number of kernels as those of the 

 Culberson. The kernels are small to medium in size and grayish white 

 or brownish white in color. The veins on the flowering glumes are 

 distinctly darker than the ground color of the glume, giving a striped 

 appearance to the kernel. In favorable seasons the kernels are plump 

 and the weight per bushel is high. The variety is late in maturing, 

 usually ripening about the end of June in the locality of Washington. 



The Winter Turf is commonly grown from fall seeding or from 

 very early spring seeding in the northern half of the Southern States. 

 It does not yield well in the Gulf States. This variety is variously 

 known as Winter Turf, Grazing, Gray Winter, Virginia Winter, 

 Dewey, Snoma, etc. It is the hardiest of all the winter oats, having 

 produced nearly as good yields after the severe winter of 1912 as in 

 ordinary years. This variety is extensively grown for grazing; hence 

 one of the names. Its fall growth is distinctly turflike, somewhat re- 

 sembling that of winter rye. The Winter Turf stools more freely 

 than other varieties of winter oats and produces a taller and more 

 slender straw. For these reasons it is quite likely to lodge, and this 

 tendency is further increased by its late maturity and consequent 

 exposure to a greater number of storms than the early varieties. 



Three lots of the Winter Turf, C. I. Nos. 180, 203, and 274-1, the last 

 a pure-line selection, have been grown for seven years at College Park. 

 Four other strains have been grown from two to five years. C. I. 

 No. 180 produced an average yield of 51.3 bushels in seven years, 

 which is the highest yield recorded at College Park. The next high- 

 est yield is 48.37 bushels from the pure-line selection C. I. No. 274-20. 

 At Arlington Farm C. I. Nos. 427, 431, and 435 and the pure-line 

 selection C. I. No. 274-20 have been grown for the four years from 

 1911 to 1914. These strains have differed little in yield, C. I. No. 

 427 having produced the highest and C. I. No. 431 the lowest yield, 

 40.56 and 39.15 bushels, respectively. The Winter Turf varieties 

 have averaged from 3 to 4^ bushels less than the best Red Rustproof 

 selection and from one-half bushel to 2 bushels less than the best Cul- 

 berson selection. 



