NINTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART XII 683 
They should be of the same variety to secure eveness in ripening. The 
variety itself depends upon the soil, locality and the purpose for which 
it is grown. 
When the seed has been cleaned and just before sowing it should be 
treated with a diluted solution of formaldehyde to kill smut and other 
spores. This can be done by spreading the oats a few inches thick on a 
floor, sprinkling over it some of the formalin solution, putting on more oats 
and then more of the solution until all are treated. Next shovel over the 
heap so that it may be well and evenly mixed. Cover over with blankets 
till next day to prevent escape of fumes and that every kernel may be 
brought under the effect of the formalin. Then spread out the oats upon 
the floor to let dry quickly ready for sowing. 
The seed bed for oats should be well prepared before seeding. In Iowa 
oats are usually sown on cornstalk ground. The stalks should be re- 
moved by putting them in silo or shock in the fall, or they should be 
thoroughly disced, and harrowed down evenly before seeding. This is 
very important because a great deal depends upon the evenness of depth in 
planting. This cannot be secured when long cornstalks lie in greater or 
smaller heaps over the ground, preventing even working of the seed drill. 
The ground should be worked to a depth of about four inches so that the 
little roots may readily spread and absorb the plant food from the soil. 
This stirring of the soil warms it and later on helps it to retain moisture 
for the use of the plant. On rich land the seed bed should not be made 
too loose, as oats like the ground well prepared, yet somewhat compacted, 
which condition is secured by the use of a good smoothing harrow. 
The time of planting depends on the season. Oats should be sown early, 
just as soon as the ground is in condition to work well. Earliness of 
planting is very important because oats thus sown develop less straw and a 
larger proportionate amount of grain of better quality than when sown 
later. Early seeding also helps them to escape hot weather and storms 
near the end of the ripening season. Very hot weather prevents proper 
filling of the grain and storms blow down the straw and thus injure the 
filling and ripening process. 
The seed should be put into the ground with a drill to the depth of 
about two inches. To secure more uniform distribution of the seeu, one- 
half of it may be put in the ground, and then going over the field with the 
drill at right angles from the first drilling to put in the balance or the 
seed. This, however, is not so important as to have the seed sown early 
at an even depth, and that the ground be in first class condition. The even 
depth of planting is desirable because it secures even germination, even 
development of the plants, and evenness of ripening. 
Oats are ripe when the stalk has turned a golden yellow. They must 
then be cut without delay. If for any reason they be cut before fully ripe 
it is well to let the sheaves lie upon the ground a few hours to cure out. 
But in all cases they should be set up into shocks before night. This pre- 
vents bleaching by dew and rain. The shock should always be small, con- 
taining about eight sheaves, compactly and regularly placed together, with 
a capsheaf over the top to run off the rain. If the shock be well put up 
it is surprising how much storm it will withstand and how well it will 
preserve the grain. 
