io maine agricultural experiment station. 1916. 



Tests of New Varieties oe Oats Originated at Highmoor 



Farm. 



In addition to the testing of commercial varieties of oats, 

 the Maine Agricultural Experiment Station has been engaged 

 for several years in breeding new varieties of oats that it is 

 hoped will be better adapted to the conditions in this State than 

 any of the existing varieties. The first part of this work was 

 begun in 1910 and has now reached a stage where the results 

 may be given to the public. 



In 19 10 some 350 individual plants were selected for the 

 variety test plots of that year. In 191 1 the seed from each of 

 these plants was sown in a separate garden row. Thus the 

 plants in each row were the offspring of a single plant of the 

 year before. Careful notes were taken on each row, and those 

 which showed the most desirable characters were harvested and 

 threshed, each row by itself. The next year the seed of these 

 most promising rows was planted in small plots of 1-2000 acre. 

 This was necessary on account of the small amount of seed. 

 Notes were again made and only the best plots selected. Thus 

 out of 350 plants originally selected the offspring of 33 were 

 regarded as good enough to continue into 1-40 acre plots in 191 3. 



In 1914, 31 of these "pure lines" were tested for the second 

 time in duplicate plots. These "pure lines" as they are called are 

 essentially new varieties. Each one of them has been developed 

 from a single plant. Since the oat flower is always self- 

 pollinated each plant in one of these pure lines has the same 

 hereditary constitution as every other plant in that line. For 

 this reason plots of these pure lines are much more even in 

 ripening, in yield, in strength of the straw, and other characters 

 than the ordinary commercial varieties. Further, many of these 

 new varieties are proving superior in yield to any of the com- 

 mercial varieties tested. Out of the 31 pure lines tested for 

 two years 12 have been judged good enough to be offered to 

 the public. 



It is believed that these pure lines represent better seed for 

 central and western Maine than can be obtained in commercial 

 varieties. They are strictly pure bred and come true to type 

 without showing any mixture. Further, they ripen very evenly, 

 which is a very desirable character. With varieties which do 

 not ripen evenly a considerable amount of grain is lost from 

 the shattering of over-ripe plants. 



