1032 Rural School Leaflet 



Harvesting. — If a good stand of oats is obtained and weeds and grass 

 are not abundant, the crop is best harvested with a twine binder. Oat 

 sheaves are more difficult to cure than are wheat sheaves. They may be 

 set up in longer shocks, two sheaves wide without any caps, if the weather 

 is fine. If rain threatens, cap-sheaves may be added if the oats are not 

 yet cured. If weeds are numerous enough in the oat field to make curing 

 difficult, it will be better to cut the crop with a side-delivery reaper, and 

 turn the gavels of oats with a fork as they lie unbound on the ground, 

 so as to facilitate curing If wet through by rain they can be dried out 

 in a few days. In order to insure saving the grain, it is best to cut the 

 crop before all the stalks are ripe or while some are yet greenish in appear- 

 ance. Cutting too green will make a lighter yield of grain. 



Weighing and cleaning. — If it is possible to weigh the entire unthreshed 

 oats as they are hauled from the field, the straw and grain should be 

 weighed together, then the yield of straw may be found by subtracting 

 the weight of the recleaned grain. If the weather is dry at harvesting 

 time it is well to thresh oats from the field. If this is not convenient 

 they may be stored under cover until the sweating process is over and 

 then threshed out before mice or rats have done any damage. Oats 

 as delivered from the thresher are seldom clean enough for exhibition. 

 After the oats are threshed they should be recleaned with a fanning mill 

 before weighing the yield. For the exhibit thirty-two pounds of recleaned 

 oats, without any further treatment, should be chosen and stored in a dry 

 place. If the oats are not perfectly dry when threshed they should be 

 spread out in a thin layer for a few days until dry. The results of the 

 contest will be determined on the basis of the following score : 



Yield 30 points 



Profit shown 30 points 



Bushel of oats 20 points 



Story of the crop 20 points 



If a clover contest is to follow the oat contest, the seed should be sown 

 from the seeding attachment of the grain drill, or by broadcasting just 

 after the oats are sown. For one acre sow three quarts of medium red 

 clover and two quarts of alsike clover, mixed. 





