4 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXX, No. 1 
and to this fact must be attributed its 
chief advantage, for it will make a fair 
yield when the later kinds fail for lack 
of moisture. Burt can not be used 
safely as a winter oat in Tennessee, as 
it is killed by even moderately cold 
weather. 
Childs (18) observed that the Burt 
and Early Ripe varieties are very much 
alike. The kernels are long and lighter 
in weight and color than those of Red 
Rustproof. These varieties mature at 
about the same time as does Fulghum. 
One kernel of the spikelet is awned. 
Nelson and Ruzek (84) found that 
Burt was not winter hardy enough to 
be dependable as a fall-sown variety 
in Arkansas, but that it was the highest 
yielding of the spring-sown varieties 
tested. 
Nelson and Osborn (85) found that 
strains of the Burt variety generally 
figured among the highest yielders 
each year that spring-oat tests were 
made at Fayetteville, Ark. Burt strains 
led in yield during the 10-year period 
and were second only to Fulghum 
in a 4-year period. Burt has almost 
always produced grain of fairly good 
quality. Burt and Fulghum are said 
to be the best varieties for spring seed¬ 
ing in Arkansas. 
Helm and Stadler (48) include Burt 
in the early spring-oat group, and 
recommend it as one of the varieties 
suitable for northern Missouri as well 
as for the central and southern parts 
of the State. They give the following 
description of this oat: 
A very early maturing variety of the Mediter¬ 
ranean group. It is somewhat spreading in early 
growth, though not so spreading as Red Rustproof. 
Under Missouri conditions the plants are taller and 
the heads longer than those of Red Rustproof. The 
head stem is not so straight as that of Red Rust¬ 
proof and Fulghum. The grains are similar in 
form to those of Red Rustproof, and are bearded, 
but have short bushy hairs at the base and are dull 
yellow in color. At this station Burt oats have been 
the earliest maturing variety grown, maturing one 
to three days earlier than Kherson and Sixty-Day. 
They are remarkably resistant to smut and fairly 
resistant to leaf rust. Their yields have been high, 
and it is probable that they will be found a leading 
variety in this State. 
Observations made by T. R. Stan¬ 
ton, and one of the writers (Parker) 
corroborate the statements of Helm 
and Stadler, at least for Clinton and 
Dekalb counties in northwestern Mis¬ 
souri. In company with R. O. Pixlee, 
of Cameron, Mo., they studied oat 
varieties on several farms in these two 
counties. 
The Burt oat was introduced into 
this section of Missouri in 1888 or 1889 
by James Chapman, who procured seed 
of Burt from his former home in 
Tennessee and sowed it on his farm 
About 2 miles west of Osborne, Mo. 
The Burt has been grown continuously 
since its introduction and the acreage 
has steadily increased until it probably 
is now grown more extensively than 
any other variety in this territory. Mr. 
Pixlee, who has been engaged in the 
elevator and grain business at Cameron 
throughout the period mentioned, has 
always encouraged the growing of Burt 
and has set aside seed of good quality 
for his customers. He has built up a 
special market demand for Burt for 
seed at the Kansas City and St. Louis 
markets, where several cars of Burt are 
sold each year, mostly for seed in 
southern territory. 
The farmers interviewed who were 
growing Burt oat mentioned the fol¬ 
lowing advantages of this variety: (1) 
Early maturity, (2) relatively high 
yields, and (3) freedom from smut. 
The fact that the Burt oat has main¬ 
tained its place in this territory in 
competition with other varieties for 
more than 30 years indicates that it 
has characteristics which enable it to 
succeed under a wide range of soil and 
climatic conditions. This section of 
Missouri is not particularly well 
adapted to oats, and if it were not for 
the fact that Burt can be grown with a 
fair degree of success, the acreage and 
yield of oats in this section probably 
would be considerably reduced. 
CONCERNING NORTHERN STATES, CAN¬ 
ADA, AND ALASKA 
Love (67) reports that the best 
combinations in oat crosses grown in 
New York are Burt with Texas Rust¬ 
proof and Sixty-Day. In another 
aper Love (68) states that Burt and 
ixty-Day hybrids and selections gave 
the best yields at Ithaca, N. Y., from 
1907 to 1912. 
Hickman (51), in reporting the re¬ 
sults of varietal experiments con¬ 
ducted in Ohio in 1890 and 1891, refers 
to the varieties Rustproof and New 
Red Rustproof as “mixed” oats. 
Burt oats are believed to be a selection 
from Red Rustproof and the variable 
condition of Burt may be due to this 
recognized “mixed” condition in Red 
Rustproof. 
Burnett (13) states that the Burt 
oat is popular in some of the southern 
Iowa counties, rivaling the Kherson in 
yield in sections where it is adapted. 
Zavitz (157) reported that the Early 
Ripe (Burt) variety is the earliest oat 
among some 260 varieties grown at the 
Ontario Agricultural College. The 
grain is long and slender, giving a 
rather light weight per measured bushel. 
It seems evident that this variety 
is immune from the attack of smut. 
