596 Summary of Agricultural Experiments, [oct., 



group gave a somewhat better result than the sulphate of potash 

 group. 



In the case of wheat, the trials appeared to show that nitrate 

 of lime was a better dressing than nitrate of soda. 



Field Crops. 



The Best Seed of Potato Oats (West of Scotland Agric. Coll., 

 Bull. 56). — It is well known that Scotch oat seeds consist of singles 

 and doubles, a single having only a sterile rudiment in place of the 

 extra grain of the double. In threshing, the small grains or " seconds " 

 of the doubles are knocked away from the large grains or firsts, and 

 so a sample of oats actually consists of singles, firsts, and seconds. 

 The object of this experiment was to discover which of these three 

 kinds was most productive. Four thousand seeds of each kind were 

 sown after being tested for germinating power, on both manured 

 and unmanured plots. Taking the yield of the singles as 100, the 

 relative yields of dressed grain were as follows :— 



Unmanured. Manured. 



From Singles 100 ... ... 100 



From Firsts 123 162 



From Seconds ... ... 64 ... ... 109 



As regards straw, the firsts were again the most productive, and 

 the seconds were as good as the singles. The experiment shows clearly 

 that firsts give the heaviest yield, so that the purchaser's chief concern 

 in buying oats for seed should be to secure the presence of large grains 

 with no rudiment at the end of the stalk. 



Varieties of Oats (Midland Agric. and Dairy College, Repts. on 

 Expts. with Crops and Stock, 1910-11). — These trials have been carried 

 out since 1905. In 19 10 the varieties were tested at six centres in 

 Lincolnshire, Nottingham, and Derby, but one proving unreliable, the 

 following results are the averages of five centres only (all per acre) : — 

 Abundance, 50 bushels of 42 lb. ; Triumph, 49I bush. ; Propsteier, 48! 

 bush. ; White Horse, 47^ bush. ; Thousand Dollar, 45 bush. ; Yielder, 

 4of bush. Owing to the unfavourable season the yield of the best 

 variety was 5 bush, below that in 1909, and 20 bush, below that in 

 1908. Propsteier is a Swedish variety, differing from Abundance in 

 being stronger in the straw, with larger and slightly coarser grain. 

 In most cases it was the last of all to ripen, very luxuriant in growth, 

 and where the crops were " laid " was the last to go down, and even 

 then did not lie so close to the ground as the other varieties. A point 

 against it on the English market is the rather dull white colour of 

 grain. It gave the highest yield in 1909. A strong loam and a light 

 loam on chalk seem equally suitable for this variety. The variety 

 Yielder, although ripening a week sooner than the other kinds, was 

 in most cases disappointing as regards yield. It appears to be an 

 oat giving the maximum yield on land in a high state of fertility 

 and in favourable seasons, conditions which did not prevail at the 

 experimental centres. 



