45 
can have but little general significance. Hence the great, almost 
paramount, importance that an experiment station should secure a 
nomenclature whereby its recommendation of a variety or of a strain 
can become effective in its influence upon the general public. 
The principal points which render one variety of an oat more de- 
sirable than another are strength of straw, whereby a large crop can 
be borne without partial destruction through lodging; prolificacy in 
grain, in number, size and weight; the property of not shedding the 
grain during the process of harvesting; resistance to rusts, mildews, 
etc., etc. This year, with us, the one-sided oats surpass the com- 
mon form in all these particulars, but our experience is not as yet 
sufficient for us to generalize as to what will occur in a different 
season or on a different soil. The safest recommendation that we 
can offer, and one which in the end will bring satisfaction to all 
parties, is that farmers should annually purchase in small quantities 
different varieties of seed from those in their own use, and by grow- 
ing on a small scale should determine for themselves whether gain, 
perhaps large gain, would not accrue to them from change of seed to 
a variety better adapted to their farm and their farming. This 
course would be little expensive, the gain might be great. 
Potato TRIALS. 
The year 1885 was a favorable one for the growing of the potato, 
although marked by the presence of abundant rot. We rarely have 
a season where duplicate trials would be expected to come closer in 
their results, as there was no drought, and no excess of water during 
the tuber-growing season. 
We present our figures under the various headings which appear 
below :— 
Duplicate Plats. 
The crops of B. 5 upper and B. 6 lower, in 1884, were nearly iden- 
tical; 243 lbs. good, and 7 lbs. soft ear corn ; 243 lbs. good, and 5 
lbs. soft ear corn. B. 5 lower, in 1884 yielded 281 lbs. good and 2 
lbs. soft ear corn, while B. 6 upper vielded 233 lbs. good and 7 lbs. 
soft ear corn. We might hence assume provisionally that B. 5 up- 
per and B 6 lower, were of equal fertility. These plats were planted 
in 1885 with White Star potatoes, single eyes, the hills one foot, 
the drills 44 inches apart, and 20 lbs. super-phosphate per plat. 
The yields were :— 

Merchantable. Small. Rotten. Total. No. of 
lbs. 0Z3 Jbs. OZ, Ibs. OZ. lbs. OZ. ills. 
B. 5 upper 162 8 12 14 341 0 515 12 560 
B. 6 lower 154 8 9 8 290 0 454 0 565 
Difference 8 0 2 12 51 0. 61 12 
B. 5 lower iy Te be 10 4 851 0 536 0 569 
B. 6 upper rhe 4 7 8 432 4 557 0 562 


Difference 57 8 2 12 81 4 21 0 
