Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-11-24
Varieties of Oats at Highmoor Farm
"A Summary of Four Years Work.

6rono. Me. 21-(SpeciaD Director
Charles u. Woods of the College of Ag-
rieultdre las given out the following:
In 1910 at Highnoor Farm the Maine
Agricultural Experiment Station be-
gan an experiment to determine thel
yield of grain and straw of -rtiff'rrcfftl
varieties of cats. Seed was obtained
from dealers and growers in the Unit
cd States and from members Of the Ca
madam Seed Growers Association IN
Canada. These varieties represented
the most productive strains grown inl
| the regions from which they were in
trodueed into Maine. In the following
paragraphs a brief account of the tests
of oat varieties is given.
During the past season p varieties
| OF cats were tried out at Highmoorl
| Farm. Each variety was planted inl
| foGr rlcts each LIE of an acre in area
| These plots were in different parts of
| The field sd that each variety was test
| ed in a wide range of soil conditions.
! The soil in this field varied from a
| light fine sand to a loan. Also the
moisture conditions varied a great deal,
some plots having plenty of moisturel
| throughout the season, owing to the
| situation of the plot in a depression,
many Of which are found in fields OF
| rolling surface. However, the distrlbu-
ton of each variety in separate plots
| throughout the field would seem to give
a fair test of variety's productivity
/ In calculating the yield per acre theI
men yield of the four LIDO plots WIS
| used as the basis. All varieties were
sown in drills inches apart at the
rate of two bushels by weight of seed
ncr acre.
of the u varieties tested II have been
| in this experiment during four seasons.
| < during two seasons, and one during
| three seasons, and one during one sea-
| son Among the varieties tested tour
! seasons there are some very interest
| ing tvnes. First among the early Vafle-
| lies If oats is the Kherson. With snort,
fine. stiff straw supporting a small
open head. characterized by short dell
| cate drooping branches, the khefson
often surprises one in its cropping abli-
itV The grain is long. slender yellow
i l., eoiae and net particularly attractive
IN the. average farmer because oil It's
small size. Nevertheless, this oat Is one
| worthy of attention. Seeded May | TO D
| # is generally thoroughly ripe ny Hu
/ ,nst At Highmoor this variety yleld-
ed from As To GO bushels per acre aul
,ng the past four seasons, giving aii
average WELD of 81 IL bushels per acre
| The average yield of straw durlhS
same period was 2i66 pounds per acre.
In tha season of 1913 this oat yielded OIL
| bushels per acre.
An,ang the medium late varieties are
the Imported Scotch and irish Nieto,
these mature generally about Il "eeN
Later than the kherson. THESE Narie'ies
1,o..a a taller straw and larger, more
.,t,,,,, white grains. The Imported
! ea.tol, has Welded from 60 to IL push
| -. - Grain per acre during the past
| - seasons. the average yield lof lile
go. saasons being So bushels per aele
| nj lid az. straw averaged 100
a.s,,dl nor acre. The straw OF eaeh VI
- ,-arieties is a little weak. In 1910
tl,a vield of these varieties was do ~
| lows: ,,,.,,o,,. ,,e,.
Imnorted Scotch, grain IS bushels per
acre. straw $685. pounds
Irish Victor, grain 81 bushels per
acre, straw 1908 pounds.
OF the late varieties of oats which
mature 10 days To three weeks later
| than the Kherson there Were several
types in these tests Only few of
these will be mentioned owing to the
| lack Of space.
An oat which always attracts atten-
| ton by it's long head of the Horse
| Name" type, and tall stiff stout straw
hearing very broad leaves is the Sena-
| tor However, this oat has never yield
| ed very satisfactorily. The heads carry
many spikelets but the percentage of
| barren grains is very high so that this
| promising variety always fails to yield
as high as one would estimate from its
| appearance. The grain is very large,
the kernel being enclosed in thick
| bull. OFTEN the kernel of a mother oat
| does not develop, in which case the pin
net is generally enclosed within the
| huh of the mother oat. 1t is possible
| that under certain management as yet
| untried this variety might develop to
| he a high yielder The yield of grain
ranged from SO 10 So bushels per acre,
| giving an average. yield of 80 bushels
per acre in the four years test. The
Weld of straw amounted to 5000
| pounds.
The Banner 0at with a weld of AZ to
| Il bushels per acre is one of the best
| late oats tried out in these tests, The
plants are tall, leafy, possessing suit
straw, and carry open heads with stift
upright branches. This oat produced ON
the average 81 bushels of grain per
acre and 2S20 pounds Of straw during
| the past four seasons. The grain Is
medium to large in size, plump and
White. 1t does best on strong moist
soil The President cat IS late like the
Banner and similar in appearance eX-
cepting that the branches of its open
head are longer and droop more Yield
of grain 50 to 6S bushels per acre
Straw q year aVerage) 2722 pounds
The grain of this variety is large,
plump and white.
The Prosperity oat is also late va
riety producing tail leafy plants hay
ing stiff straw. The heads are open.
spreading with long branches, the
grain is white, short and plump. Dur
iog the four years test the yield of