32 The Bulletin. 



but only partly, fill in the open furrow, and the more vital and sensitive parts 

 of the plants are left at the original depth, below the reach of even very severe 

 freezes. 



"The long-anticipated freeze at last came and our theory was put to a crucial 

 test. On February 8, 1899, the thermometer sank to 15 degrees, followed on 

 successive mornings by 19 degrees and 17 degrees. On the 12th it was down 

 to 11 degi'ees, and on the morning of the loth stood at 7 degrees below zero, 

 the coldest day since February 8, 1835. The result was that fall-sown oats 

 and January sown oats were pretty generally destroyed everywhere. But our 

 open-furrow drilled oats, excepting two acres, stood the test remarkably well, 

 and, though seriously injured, made 40 bushels to the acre. Of the two acres 

 so planted that were badly killed, the I'ows were laid east and west; of all 

 the other sections the rows were laid north and south ; thus developing an- 

 other significant fact that the ideal direction would be northeast and southwest, 

 in order to protect the plants by means of the wall of earth, against the north- 

 west wind. 



"In order to make more sure of the correctness of the'preconceived theory 

 that the open furrows would secure the oats from fatal freezing, on two one- 

 acre sections that were sown in open furrows running east and west on every 

 alternate tenth acre the furrows were filled up flush by running over them 

 with a clod-crusher and smoother. The result was that the oats on these alter- 

 nate tenths were almost entirely destroyed, not one plant in ten surviving the 

 severe freeze, and the plots were resown with spring oats. But the other 

 tenths, of which the furrows were left open, although severely injured, pro- 

 duced 40 bushels of grain per acre, or more than half of the expected full 

 crop. 



"When carefully drilled, one and a half to two bushels of oats are suflicient 

 for an acre ; when broadcast, from three to four bushels of the same oats 

 are required for one acre, in oi'der to secui'e the same stand." This alone is an 

 advantage in favor of the drill-sowing that would result in a saving of seed 

 oats sufficient in value to pay for the extra labor of sowing by this plan. 



It may be well to remark that a very low temperature is by no means the 

 sole factor controlling the effect of cold on a crop of oats. The results 

 of a freeze will depend very materially on the weather for a week or two pre- 

 ceding, and on the condition of the oat plant. A moderately cold snap, say a 

 miniuuun temperature of no lower than 15 degrees, may pi'ove fatal to a crop 

 of oats sown in the ordinary way, providing such drop in temperature shall 

 immediately follow a spell of mild weather, inducing a tender, succulent con- 

 dition of the plants. As a rule, a very much lower tempei'ature will be re- 

 quired to injure oats in January or February than would suffice to utterly 

 destroy them in March. 



I was about to forget to say that I advise and practice the system of rota- 

 tion — ^cotton, corn and peas, oats and peas — which requires that oats be sown 

 on corn land, from which the cornstalks have been cut and shocked. Such 

 land is deeply plowed as soon as possible after cutting and shocking the corn, 

 and thoroughly harrowed. It is then ready for the oat drill. 



FERTILIZING. 



So far as I am informed, it has- not been definitely determined by any one 

 just what are the proper proportions in which the three principal elements of 

 plant food should enter into a composition of a fertilizer for oats. The gen- 

 eral trend of our experiments indicate that the oat demands a very liberal 

 percentage both of nitrogen and potash, in fact a much larger percentage of 

 both of these elements than seems required for best results on corn. The 

 following formula has been used by me for several years, the amounts being 

 for one acre : 



Formula for Oats—One Acre. 



Acid Phosphate 200 pounds. 



Muriate of Totash (or Kaiuit 200 pounds) 50 pounds. 



Cotton-seed Meal 250 poxuids. 



500 pounds. 



