1. Considerable variation in oxygen consumption is found even with oats of low moisture content.

2. Heating of oats in well insulated flasks is negligible when the moisture is below 15.00 percent.

3. Oats with the moisture content above 15.00 percent, heated as the moisture content was increased up to 24.00 percent, at which point the maximum heating was reached. When the moisture content was increased beyond 24.00 percent a gradual but irregular falling off in heating was noted.

4. Oats with a moisture content of 40.01 percent consumed the greatest quantity of oxygen, whereas the maximum heat production was recorded in oats having 24.00 percent moisture.

5. There is a general tendency for respiration to increase with the moisture content up to the optimum, although there is considerable variation. A difference of 20.65°C. was noted for samples of similar moisture content.

6. High temperatures which developed in moist grain during self heating lowered the vitality of the seed. A sample with a maximum temperature of 47.71°C. germinated 8 percent; in another case oats with similar moisture content reached a maximum temperature of 27.06°C. and germinated 79 percent.

7. Dry grain is injured less by high temperatures than is moist grain. Air-dry oats subjected to a temperature of 65°C. for 3 hours germinated 91 percent; oats with 22.23 percent moisture, treated similarly, failed to germinate.

8. The following microorganisms were isolated from samples taken from four of the Dewar flasks. Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, Rhizopus sp., Fusarium sp., Penicillium sp. and several species of bacteria.

9. The irregularities in oxygen consumption and temperature are probably due to variation in the fungal flora of different seed lots. This work confirms the pure culture work with reference to the influence of fungi in the heating of stored grain.