STUDIES ON OAT BREEDING. 



139 



Table; ii. 



Relation between the three dimensions of the hulled kernels of 



the pure lines. 



Line Numbeb. 



Length 

 mm. 



Width 

 mm. 



Thickness 



Maine 340 



9.11 

 9.09 

 9.13 

 9.15 



8.99 

 8.98 

 8.87 

 8.96 

 9.14 

 9.04 

 9.02 

 8.85 



9.03 



2.38 

 2.41 

 2.37 

 2.44 

 2.31 

 2.36 

 2.25 

 2.32 

 2.29 

 2.30 

 2.35 

 2.38 



2.85 



1.96 



Maine 337 



1 97 



Maine 336 



1.93 



Maine 346 



1.95 



Maine 230 



1.99 



Maine 281 



1.94 





1.87 



Maine 286 



1.87 



Maine 351 



1.90 



Maine 307 



1.93 



Maine 357 



1.96 



Maine 247 



1.94 





1.93 







In using this method an attempt has been made to determine 

 whether the relations between the three dimensions of the 

 naked kernel might not furnish a reliable index that would allow 

 a distinction between the kernels of even closely related strains. 

 From an economical standpoint the measurement of the naked 

 kernel would be justified, since in many cases the hulls or 

 glumes obscure the real merits of the kernel proper, which 

 alone determines the value of the grain. It is admitted that the 

 measurement of the naked kernels involves the technical diffi- 

 culty of hulling the grain. However, any closer study of the 

 grain characters requires the determination of the hull per- 

 centage and the hulled kernels prepared for that purpose can 

 be used for the measurements. It is realized that this method 

 has some points to be determined yet and it is proposed to test 

 further its validity by analyzing a larger material from differ- 

 ent years and working up the data statistically. 



In the present case, however, the data have been found rather 

 interesting and have a comparable value, since they refer to ker- 

 nels of plants grown in the same year and under the same envi- 

 ronmental conditions. The measurements were carried out with 

 the aid of a micrometer caliper. The measurements were recorded 

 to hundredths of a millimeter. In Table n the lines are arranged 

 according to their parental varieties. It will be noted that the-e 

 is a marked distinction between the three groups of the lines. 

 The first four lines of the Irish Victor show throughout higher 



