UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



i BULLETIN No. 402 



Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry. 

 WM. A. TAYLOR, Chief. 



J(W=5^'^W"t» 



Washington, D. C. 



October 3, 1916 



CEREAL EXPERIMENTS AT THE AKRON FIELD 

 STATION, AKRON, COLO. 



By George A. McMurdo, 

 Assistant, Office of Cereal Investigations. 



CONTENTS. 



Pa-e. 

 Introduction 1 



Description of the district 2 



The Akron Field Station Id 



Experiments with wheat 14 



Experiments with oats 24 



Experiments with barley 28 



Experiments with minor cereals 31 



Summar.v 33 



INTRODUCTION. 



The experiments with cereals at the Akron Field Station^ were 

 begun in the fall of 1907. They have been conducted for the follow- 

 ing purposes: (1) To determine the best crops, crop varieties, and 

 strains for that section of Colorado ; (2) to improve varieties by 

 breeding; and (3) to determine the best methods of cereal pro- 

 duction. 



This bulletin contains the results of experiments conducted during 

 eight years, 1908 to 1915, inclusive. A period of eight years should 

 be sufficient to warrant drawing some fairly accurate conclusions. 

 It is believed, however, that the production factors in this period 

 have been rather more favorable than can be expected in a longer 

 period. 



The data herein presented should indicate the relative values of 

 the cereals. They should also show the best varieties of each cereal 

 for this district and for localities with similar conditions. 



' The Akron Field Station, Akron, Colo., is operated hy the Office of Dry-Land Agriculture Investiga- 

 tions. The cereal experiments arc conducted )>y the O ficc of Cereal Investigations in cooperation with 

 the office named. These experiments werehegun in 1907. Mr. Wilson G. Shelley was in charge from March 

 1 , 19(j8, until Feb. 28, 1911. Mr. Clyde McKee was then appointed scientific assistant and placed in charge 

 of cereal investigations at Akron, which position he retained till Feb. 15, 1913. lie Mas then succeeded by 

 Mr. Charles 11. Clark, who remained till July 1, 1913, on which date ho was transferred to take charge of 

 flax investigations in the Office of Cereal Investigation.s. The writer of this bulletin was placed in charge 

 of the cereal experiments at Akron on the date of Mr. f lark's transfer. "^Lf. 



50400°-Bull. 402— le 1 ^^. '' 



