STUDIES ON OAT BREEDING. IO3 



test. Of these 34 all but 12 have been discarded as not suffi- 

 ciently valuable to be offered to the public. These 12 pure lines 

 have now been tested for 3 years under field conditions and in 

 competition with the best commercial varieties which we could 

 obtain. 



In the following pages some of the details of this work are 

 given and the comparative yields in each year. A description 

 of the 12 pure lines still retained is also given. 



This work was begun under the general direction of Dr. Ray- 

 mond Pearl. The selections in 1910 were all made by the senior 

 writer. In 191 1 the work was in charge of Dr. E. P. Humbert. 

 In 1912 Dr. M. R. Curtis and Mr. C, W. Barber looked after the 

 field work. Mr. Barber was also associated with the work in 

 1913. The present writers were associated in the work of 

 1914 and 191 5 and in the preparation of the data for publication 

 The writers desire to express their appreciation of the careful 

 and efficient assistance rendered throughout this and other work 

 by Mr. Wellington Sinclair, Superintendent of Highmoor Farm. 



Work in 1910. 



In 1910 25 varieties of oats were tested in 1-10 acre plots at 

 Highmoor Farm. The location of these plots as well as other 

 data concerning them has been given by Surface and Barber. 7 



Shortly before harvest a number of these plots were carefully 

 gone over and plants showing points of excellence were given 

 a tag bearing a selection number. The points which were par- 

 ticularly noted in this field selection were the number of culms, 

 the size and general character of the head, the number of spike- 

 lets, the number of sterile or abortive spikelets, and the strength 

 of the straw. In making these selections much weight was 

 given to the position of the plant in the plot. Thus usually 

 marginal plants were not chosen because their greater develop- 

 ment was manifestly . due to better environment. In general, 

 the attempt was made to select plants which were noticeably- 

 better in some respects than their neighbors located under the 

 same environmental conditions. 



The number on the tag is the plant selection number by 

 which the plant can at any time afterwards be identified in the 

 records. No plant selection number is ever duplicated in the 



7 Loc. cit. 



