223 



lu every case the laud which had uot been plowed gave the best yield. Conutiug 

 the cost of plowing at ijl/if) per acre and oats at 35 cents per bushel, there was an 

 actual gain per acre by uot plowing the laud of $2.09 in the case of listed oats, $1.60 

 for drilled, aud $'.i for those covered with cultivator. This indicates that oats prefer 

 a moderately firm bed. In a loose soil, other things being equal, they run more to 

 straw, apparently at the expeuse of the grain. 



The best yield was obtained on the drilled plats, viz., at the rate of 3.J.5 bushels 

 per acre, the broadcasted coming next with 29.5 bushels, then the listed and culti- 

 vated-in foUowiug closely upon each other with 24| aud 24| bushels, respectively, the 

 lightest yield being from the plats covered with the plow, which average only 21^ 

 bashels per acre. 



That the drilled oats should outyield the broadcasted is contrary to the results 

 generally obtained in fiirm practice, aud it is 'probably due, in part at least, to the 

 peculiarities of the implement used [the rollers of which pressed ilrmly upon the 

 soil, making a firm bed at the bottom of the drill, into which the .seed was dropped.] 

 The soil in which the seed roots is thus pressed firm, which is opposite to the 

 workings of the ordinary hoe drill, and in view of the preference which oats have 

 for a firm bed, this circumstance may be the cause of the favorable results obtained 

 by the use of this drill. 



(2) Character of the seed. — To throw light on the influence that the character 

 of the seed has on the crop, three grades of Red Winter oats were selected, denomi- 

 nated, according to their weight per bushel, as "light," "common," and "heavy." 

 Five one-tweutieth-acre plats were devoted to each grade. # » » f\^Q "common 

 seed" was taken from the oats as they came from the thresher, aud weighed 28 

 pounds to the struck bushel. The other two grades were obtained by running the 

 " common" oats through a fanning mill, which separated them into five grades. Of 

 these we used the lightest aud the heaviest, which weighed, respectively, 19 pounds 

 and 32 pounds to the struck bushel. [The average yield in bushels per acre for each 

 kiud of seed was : "light," 21^; "common," 24; "heavy," 30.] 



This showing is interesting, although it proves only what is already well known. 

 The heaviest seed yielded 6 bushels more per acre than the connuon seed oats taken 

 (as is usually the case in practice) as they came from the thresher. On this basis 

 the oat crop of Kansas could last year have been increased by 8,352,588 bushels if 

 only selected heavy oats had been sown, worth at the average price of the crop (16 

 cents) $1,336,413, or twice that sum at the present price of oats. Select seed pays, 

 aud pays well. 



(3) Single variety vs. a mixture of varieties. — Ou the theory that varieties 

 differ in their needs and powers to assimilate the available nutrients from the soil it is 

 often asserted that several varieties mixed together, with their roots feeding among 

 each other, are supported better, and will uiake a larger growth ou a given area 

 than is possible with a single variety under the same conditions. 



To get light on this matter, Red Wiiitor, Badger Queen, aud Virginia 

 Winter oats were sown on twentieth-acre plats as follows: "Four plats 

 were given to each of the three varieties, four to a mixture of all three 

 together, and four to a mixture of the Red Winter and Badger Queen. 

 Tlie plats were distributed among each other so as to equalize possible 

 inequalities in the soil " 



The yield of Virginia Winter was very light. The average yield per 

 acre of Eed Winter aud Badger Queen, grown singly and in mixture, 

 were 29.3 and 31.2 bushels, or nearly 2 bushels in favor of the mixed 

 seed. " The average of all three vaiieties grown singly is less thau 21^ 

 bushels per acre (21.46), whereas the average of a mixture of the three 



