222 AGRICULTURE Ol" MAINE. 



bushel for oats enough to sow one acre. The oats were remark- 

 ably heavy, and had a thick, tiinty hull, which seemed to make 

 up a large per cent of the weight. He sowed them when the 

 ground was wet and cold, in a poorly prepared seed bed. The 

 yield was 23 bushels from the acre. 



To grow a good oat crop there are four prime essentials : 



I St. Pure seed of known germinating power. 



2nd. A fertile soil, but not over rich in nitrogen. 



3rd. A good seed bed. 



4th. A favorable season. 



A fertile soil sown with poor seed will give only a fair crop 

 in the most favorable season. Sown to the best varieties of 

 seed, the soil yields the greatest returns. In recent years a vast 

 amount of attention has been given to the preparation and treat- 

 ment of the soil and but vei'y little attention given to the purity 

 and productiveness of the seed. 



If one has any doubt in regard to the great loss sustained by 

 the farmers of Maine through the use of poor seed he has only 

 to drive in the country during the first week of August to be 

 convinced. He will note acre after acre so infested with char- 

 lock, commonly called mustard or kale, as to render them not 

 worth the harvesting. 



Those who have not had experience little realize the damage 

 to the farm and the difficulty in eradicating these foul weeds 

 when they have once got established. 



Dr. Woods says, "Spray with iron sulphate when the plants 

 have attained a growth of three or four leaves." This method 

 may be effectual for the present crop but it is characteristic of 

 these seeds to germinate at all times of the season and some 

 lie df)rmant in the soil for several years even when the ground 

 is cultivated. Frances Willard is credited with saying, "The 

 proper time to begin to bring up a child is one hundred years 

 before it is born." The same principle holds true in regard to 

 exterminating weeds. P)egin before the seed is planted. 



From experiments covering a series of years at the Ontario 

 Experiment Farm the pure and selected seed gave an increased 

 yield over the ordinary seed of approximately 20 per cent. 



This gain agrees with our own experience and observation. 



