170 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I9I4- 



1 91 3. Also the Silver Mine which yielded relatively very well 

 in 1910 and 1911 yielded relatively very poorly in both 1912 

 and 1913. ■ 



7. The average yield of straw per acre varied from 3475 

 pounds in the Siberian to 1880 pounds in the Rebred 60-Day. 

 The average yield of straw for all varieties is 2751 pounds per 

 acre. This is a slightly higher average yield than in the preced- 

 ing years. 



8. The average weight per measured bushel for all varieties 

 was only 35.5 pounds. This is considerably lower than in the 

 previous years, especially 1910 and 1911. This will be discussed 

 more in detail at another place (cf. p. 186). 



9. The average length of time from planting to harvesting 

 was loi days, a slightly longer average growing period than in 

 the other years. 



VARIATION IN THE YIELD OF THE I913 PLOTS. 



The use of four plots of each variety situated in different 

 parts of the same field gives an opportunity to study the effect 

 of the environment on each variety. The seed for each of the 

 four plots of any variety was all taken from the same bag. For 

 all practical purposes the seed for any set of four plots may be 

 regarded as identical. The differences in the yield of the plots 

 of any variety may, therefore, be attributed in the main to the 

 effect of differences in soil of other environmental factors. Un- 

 doubtedly different varieties of oats differ greatly in their abil- 

 ity to adapt themselves to different environments. This fact is 

 well recognized by the commercial seed growers. Statements 

 are common in the literature to the effect that one variety is 

 especially adapted to withstand a drought or will yield well on 

 poor land, while another variety is described as especially 

 adapted to rich soil, etc. Now the variety which will yield well 

 under all kinds of conditions is in many cases a much more 

 desirable variety for the average farmer than a variety which 

 will yield higher but only under certain favorable conditions. 



The data on the 19 13 plots offer an opportunity to study the 

 effect of such environmental influences. The data are by no 

 means sufficient to warrant far-reaching conclusions. Experi- 



