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BULLETIN OF THE 



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No. 99 



Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry, Wm. A. Taylor, Chief. 

 June 8, 1914. 



TESTS OF SELECTIONS FROM HYBRIDS AND 

 COMMERCIAL VARIETIES OF OATS. 



By 0. W. Warburton, Agronomist in Charge of Oat Investigations, and L. C. Burnett 

 and H. H. Love, Collaborators, Office of Cereal Investigations (in cooperation with 

 the Iowa and Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Stations). 2 



INTRODUCTION. 



The breeding of oats was begun by the Bureau of Plant Industry 

 in 1 902 . In that year Mr. Jesse B . Norton, then of the Plant-Breeding 

 Laboratory, grew a collection of varieties at the Arlington Experi- 

 mental Farm, near Washington, D. C, and made a large number of 

 crosses. The resulting seed was planted in the spring of 1903 at 

 Willey, 111. The following year the work was transferred to the 

 vicinity of Bloomington, 111., where it was conducted from 1904 to 

 1908. 3 Field-plat tests of a number of commercial varieties were 

 also made at Willey in 1903 and during the earlier years of the work 

 near Bloomington. The experiments were confined to nursery tests 

 in 1907 and 1908. Pure-line selections were made from these plats 

 of commercial varieties, and material for crossing was also taken 

 from them. The first selections were made from the hybrids in 1904, 

 and reselections were made from time to time as further breaking up 

 was apparent. All these selections were first grown in head rows, 

 and those which appeared to be most desirable were grown in suc- 

 ceeding years in nursery rows of uniform length for comparative 

 tests. 



In 1907 considerable numbers of the selections were sent to the 

 Kentucky, Iowa, and Cornell University (New York) agricultural 



1 This bulletin is intended for the use of farmers, agronomists, and cereal breeders, to whom the com- 

 parative data on selections from hybrids and commercial varieties should be of interest. It is adapted 

 to the northern part of the United States as far west as the Missouri River. 



2 The work in cooperation with the Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station has been under the direct 

 charge of Mr. L. C. Burnett, while that in cooperation with the Cornell University Agricultural Experiment 

 Station has been under the direction of Dr. H. H. Love. The results of the work at these stations have 

 been prepared for publication by Messrs. Burnett and Love, respectively. The remainder of the bulletin 

 has been prepared by Mr. C. W. Warburton. 



3 Mr. Norton and the writer desire to acknowledge theirindebtedness to Messrs. DeaneN. and J. F. Funk 

 for facilities furnished and for their hearty cooperation in the work near Bloomington. 



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