STUDIES ON OAT BREEDING. 165 



3. Of the 10 varieties ranking highest in point of yield, nine 

 were varieties which had been tested in the two preceding years. 

 Only one of the varieties introduced in this year, the Early 

 Pearl, ranked among the first lo. 



4. The Imported Scotch which yielded best in 1911 ranked 

 fifth in point of yield in 19 12. The Regenerated Swedish Select 

 which was one of the best yielding varieties in 1910, but very 

 poor in 191 1, ranked tenth in yield in this year. The Senator 

 which yielded poorly in the two preceding seasons gave an 

 average yield in 191 2. The Senator plot in field B yielded very 

 weh. The Silver Mine which had yielded well in the two pre- 

 vious years gave only an average yield in this year. It is to be 

 noted that the late seeded plot of this variety yielded best. This 

 was also true of a few other varieties. 



5. The average yield of straw for all plots was 2401 pounds 

 per acre. This is slightly less than the average for the preced- 

 ing year. The early seeded plots gave 2765 pounds per acre, 

 while the late seeded plots gave only 2171 pounds. 



6. The average weight per measured bushel for all plots 

 was 36.1 pounds. This is about three pounds less than for 

 either of the previous years. The fact that a number of new 

 varieties were grown this year may in some measure account for 

 this decrease. It will further be noted that the grain from the 

 early seeded plots average to weigh nearly four pounds more 

 per bushel than grain from the late seeded plots. 



7. The average number of days from planting to harvesting 

 was 99.5 days. 



Results of the 1913 Test. 



It has already been stated that in 1913 different methods were 

 adopted in the variety test work. The chief difference was in 

 the use of four small plots (1-40 acre) in place of a single, or 

 as in 1912 duplicate, i-io acre plots. The four plots of any one 

 variety were scattered through the field so that on the average 

 the four plots of any variety were more likely to encounter 

 average soil conditions than if they were in a single large plot. 

 Each 1-40 acre plot was in the shape of a square, each side being 

 33 feet long. It has been shown by one of the writers' that this 



'Barber, C. W. Loc. cit. 



