FIELD EXPERIMENTS IN I9I5. 9 



The season of 191 5 proved to be very good for oats at High- 

 moor Farm. The yields were not quite so high as in 19 14. 

 Part of this was due to the heavy rains at the time of harvest 

 which injured the grain to some extent. Individual plots 

 yielded at the rate of from 50 to 97 bushels per acre. 



The variety showing the highest average yield was the Earlv 

 Pearl. This averaged to yield at the rate of 87 bushels per acre. 

 Three other varieties yielded 80 bushels per acre or above in 

 1915. These were the Banner (83 bushels), Minnesota No. 26 

 (82 bushels), and the Gold Rani (80 bushels). Three of these 

 varieties, the Early Pearl, Minnesota No. 26 and the Gold Rain, 

 have headed the list of commercial varieties for the past 3 

 years. Last year the 'Minnesota No. 26 ranked first, the Gold 

 Rain second, and the Early Pearl third. The average yield for 

 the 4 years in which' these 3 varieties have been tested are the 

 Early Pearl, 82 bushels ; Minnesota No. 26, 79 bushels ; Gold 

 Rain, 76 bushels. 



These 3 varieties are exceptionally promising for central and 

 southern Maine. So far as yield is concerned there is little to 

 choose between these 3 varieties. Each of them has a medium 

 sized grain, an open head and stiff straw. Even in the severe 

 test this year these varieties lodged very little on our plots. The 

 Early Pearl and the Minnesota No. 26 are white oat 1 :, while the 

 Gold Rain is a yellow oat. 



On the basis of the 4 year test given in Bulletin 229 the Irish 

 Victor, Imported Scotch and Prosperity were mentioned as the 

 best of the varieties tested up to that time. These 3 varieties 

 yielded well in 19 15 but not so well as some of the newer varie- 

 ties mentioned above. The Irish Victor and Prosperity yielded 

 at the rate of 75 bushels per acre each, while the Imported 

 Scotch gave only 65 bushels. 



The Swedish Select yielded 68 bushels per acre. This variety 

 has been quite popular in the State but in our experience it has 

 not had the yielding capacity of many of the other varieties. 

 Further, it has a very weak straw and this year all of the Swed- 

 ish Select plots lodged very badly. 



Of the extra early varieties only the Kherson was grown 

 this year. It yielded 65 bushels per acre. These early oats 

 have never yielded as well as the later varieties at Highmoor 

 Farm. 



