26 
BULLETIN 1309, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
obtaining a uniform distribution of seed with the grain drill. For 
these reasons it is desirable to obtain a high-yielding winter barley 
which is either awnless or has completely deciduous awns. 
COMPARISON OF GRAIN CROPS 
The average acre yield of the leading variety of each of the fall- 
sown cereals during the 13-year period, 1911-1923, inclusive, is shown 
graphically in Figure 10. The high-yielding ability of spelt is notice- 
able in comparison with barley or oats. Rye and wheat produce 
more grain than spelt when deduction is made for the chaff of the 
latter, which continues to inclose the kernel after threshing. 
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Fig. 10 —Diagram showing the average yield of the leading variety of each of the fall-sown 
cereals grown at the Arlington Experiment Farm during the 13-year period, 1911-1923, 
inclusive 
SUMMARY 
The experiments here reported were conducted on the Arlington 
Experiment Farm, near Rosslyn, Va., during the 14-year period, 1910- 
1923, inclusive. The farm is located 2 miles west of Washington, 
D. C, at an altitude of approximately 50 feet. 
The soil on which these experiments were conducted is a gray loam 
with a subsoil of brick clay, classified as a Keyport silt loam. 
The average precipitation for the 12-month period from July 1 to 
June 30 for the 12-year period during which rainfall has been recorded 
at the farm is 41.39 inches. The maximum rainfall occurred during 
the 12 months ended June 30, 1923, when the total was 45.75 inches 
and the minimum 37.45 inches in the 12 months ended June 30, 1917. 
The poorest yields of winter wheat occurred in those years when 
the total April, May, and June rainfall was heaviest. Low tempera- 
tures have reduced the yield of fall-sown oats and winter barley, but 
winterkilling seldom occurs in wheat and rye. 
Spring seeding of wheat, oats, and barley has not resulted in satis- 
factory yields. 
The beardless varieties of winter wheat have produced the highest 
yields. Varieties producing tall, heavy straw have not been high 
grain yielders. Seeding winter wheat at the rate of 6 pecks per acre 
