42 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I915. 



of these tests for the four years 1910 to 1913 inoluSiive were 

 published as Bulletin No. 229. The results of the 1914 test 

 show many interesting points, and are here summarized. 



The method used by the Station in recent variety tests has 

 been to plant four plots of each variety. Each plot contains 

 1-40 of an acre, making in all i-io of an acre devoted to each 

 variety. The four plots of a variety are placed in different 

 parts of the field so that the yield of any one variety is les*^ 

 likely to be affected by the quality of the soil. The average of, 

 the four plots is taken as the yield of the given variety for the 

 year. 



The twenty-one varieties grown in 1913 were again tested in 

 1914. In addition one new variety was added, viz., the O. A. C. 

 No. 72. This oat was bred at the Ontario Agricultural College 

 and has proven to be a very excellent variety in Canada. 



The past season was an exceptionally good one for growing 

 oats at Highmoor Farm. The yields have been far in excess of 

 anything previously obtained. One of these commercial varieties 

 yielded well over 100 bushels per acre. This was the Minnesota 

 No. 26 with a yield of 105.5 bushels per acre. One plot of this 

 variety yielded at the rate of 132.5 bushels per acre. Two 

 other plots reached 100 bushels while the fourth plot gave over 

 89 bushels. 



' Three other varieties yielded only a little below 100 bushels 

 per acre. These were the Gold Rain (98.8 bush.), the Early 

 Pearl (98.1 bush.) and the Silver Mine (96.3 bush.). 



Of these four highest yielding varieties the Early Pearl and 

 the Minnesota No. 26 ranked second and third in yield in 191 3. 

 These two varieties have now been tested for three years. 

 Average yields for the three years are for the Early Pearl, 77.3 

 bushels ; and for the Minnesota No. 26, 75.3 bushels. These 

 two varieties are exceptionally promising for central Maine. 



The Gold Rain variety which ranked second in yield this 

 year is also an excellent oat. For the three years in which it 

 has been tested it has averaged 72.6 bushels per acre. This is 

 a yellow oat which was originally bred by the Experiment Sta- 

 tion at Svalof, Sweden. 



Eleven of the varieties have now been tested for five years. 

 On the basis of the four year tests given in Bulletin 229 the 

 Irish Victor, Imported Scotch, Lincoln and Prosperity were 



