Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-11-17
MAINE. $40 0AT
Its Use as Seed Strikingiy In
creases the YieId-Experi-
ments at the Maine AgricuI-
tura Experiment Station.

sI-ilaon al ne University al Maine
The Maine Agricultural Experiment
Station has been carrying On invest
cations with oats for -nure Than SO
years. Ten years ago cat breeding
siuuies were begun. Al the present
tine this work Is n progress both at
Higamoor Farm md al Aroosfoes,
Farm The great difference IN
climatic and soil conditions between
these TWO regions Of the State make
i necessary ID carry On this work al
the two farms 70 large extent indie
penden1lT. Any results obtained q.
one farm must a. least be verified al
the other before recommendation
can be made
Al une beginning Of this work on
each farm II has been necessary ID
CARRY 0ut variety tests In order Id find
The varieties best adapted &c the loca4
conditions. In this work over 30
commercial varieties hare been tested
az Haghmoor and about % varieties az
A-oostook
The next step n this work has been
- attempt 10 develop new varieties
which would De still better adapted
% our conditions than any OF the com
Enercial varieties 50 far obtained. The
first method used n this attempt was
the so-calletl pure Ire selections.
This consists IN isaIatlng single plants
from some CT rile better varieties anu
then growing the seed Of each man.
,H=s- zaT--
lines are then tested for yleid,
strength Of straw. etc. and only the
best retained.
Several hundred Of THESE pure lines
have been grown a. Aroos1ook Farm
and Elghmo0r Farm. Twelve OF the
most promising OF the pure lines CT
these were selected for Distribution
about four years ago. As the Station
could only handle in large amounts a
single line Maine S4e IVES selected as
On the whole being the best But
some Of these other lines. notably
Maine 35-- are highly PRICED by grow
ers IN certain sections Of the State
Maine $40 IS 4 pure line selected
from the commercial variety Irish
Victor. l. Is a medium early strain
a. dlgl sIooling power. and possessing
an exceptionally stlH sfav- II has 4
spreading palicia. with somewhat
dropping branches. the main axis ex-
tending upright and being rich N
s71lkeiets a. The 1up. II has 2 WHITE
10 pale -eiiow grain which IS nearly
cylindrical. well filed and niunriy
pointed. The g3uTnes ara smooth and
lust-uus. and practically bea--dless
f4e fs5r
high weight per bushel. and relatively
lUw hull percentage. II has 4 very
stiff straw. and shows a relatively
small amount of variation n the
Yield. The Weld va-3es fa'oTn CO 20 So
bushels per AGRA when grown under
good field conditions II averaged TOR
3 Years % WELD a-3 bushels per acre
Tnure than rs parent Ea-et~ Irish
Victor
Maine $50 has been ETow7 By may
14T1ners. In 1929 Judging from me
amount Of seed that is known - have
been sold, several Thousand acres were
-rown. In tests mot conducted ~
the Sta1on) 81 farmers found that
they obtained On the average more
than Is bushels greater Yield
with Maine $40 than with the oats
hey had been n the habit of
growing and which they grew n
demonstrations n comparison with
Maine $40 Doubtless there ysrn
az least 10 0Ao more bushels Of cats
grown n Maine n 1921 than would
have been grown If Maine Sa5 seed
had not been used. Il Names Whole
cat acreage Of about $4,000 acres had
&C.,
Yields IA Ig-D alone would have pad
the whole cost df ff1e Maine Ag-lcui-
Tpra1 Experiment Station for the So
Years Of is existence.
Obviously i. IS for the interest of
any grower of Oats 10 snpruve his
seed NAM Of the commercial pure
Ines are far better than the seed
many farmers ara using. Seine Of
them. Ike Early Peaza. stand high as
producers Not al commercial named
varieties are suited 70 Maine condi-
Mons. The Senator for instance IS 4
poor yielder n this state. The Sta
ton urges farmers ID buy good cat
seed and buy Il ea-aT- The Staten
has 1 limited amount Of Maine $40
Tor sale. All Of is gT-owin- IS free
trum weed seeds and has nigh ger-ni-
nataon.
As pointed out n 4 recent lettar n
this series sunatzc chanEes due 70
environment arg mt inherited Hence
pure line oa1s g-own on a field that
gave small yieid VIII make as GOOD
seed as the same line grown on j field
giving a large yield. The slIpe-in-
tendenr Of one of the Station farms
did not believe this u be a fact And
SO We grew al thai farm. Just N con-
vinca HIM. Maine $40 cats from fields
giving la--e yields and fields g;-inE a
poor crop. Va differences n the CROPS
from the TWO sources OF seed could De
detected.
For anyone who has. what he
knows 70 be. rlamixad Maine sac oats
the Maine Station viii make purity
and germinarion tests free Of charge
and viii place the name and address
of the grower the quality of the seed
and It's price ii a isl thar viii be
sent al people writing the Station for
seed oats. The SAM Die should be
taken 50 as To fairly represent the
whole lot Of cleaned oats as they ara
ready far sale. should ne NOT less than
one pint and should be sent by parcel
post al as early date as practicable
- the Maine Agricultural Experiment
Station. Orunu. Maine The sander
should put his name on the package
and write the Station when the sam
Die IS sent stating the number OF
1-r rSy-,rsa