RESULTS FROM GRAIN CROPS. 185 
But it is better to plant new land to potatoes orcorn fodder 
and follow with oats. Under such conditions larger crops 
are obtained. Old ground need not be plowed after pota- 
toes or corn for oats, provided it can be worked upsufficient- 
ly with a harrow, for which purpose a disc harrow is best. 
If not in good condition, it is best to plow, and always 
in the fall if possible.’ An illustration of the difference in 
yield which may be obtained by different preparation of the 
soil, was given this season, when corn ground which had 
become compacted with the rains and grown up to some ex- 
tent with timothy sods was laid off in plots and sown to 
oats after portions of it had been fall plowed, spring plowed, 
and not plowed at all. In this case it was not possible to 
work up the soil well enough without plowing it. The un- 
plowed land gave 34 bushels per acre, the spring plowing 
58 bushels, and the fall plowing 67.8 bushels per acre. 
Oats will do well on sod, but the plowing should be done 
in August or early September, and caretaken to lay a flat fur- 
row, orin this climate thesod will not rot. Onnew land and 
newly cleared farms, much of the soil will be either too wet, 
ortooraw and rooty to give best results. Under these condi- 
tions the average yield for the acreagesown may not belarge. 
Poor seasons may also affect it. For the last seven years 
on the Experiment Farm, the average yield for the total 
acreage sown to oats was 35.2 bushels. In 1900 a severe 
drought, followed later by excessive rains which made it im- 
possible to save the grain, reduced the average vield for the 
year to 18.7 bushels per acre. Without this year, the 
general average is 38.8 bushels. The variety tests have 
generally been placed upon soil not subject to dangers from 
excessive water, and these have given an average yield of 43.9 
bushels, which may be considered fairly representative of the 
yield in good and poor seasons, on both old and new land, 
The largest crops have always been obtained the second year 
after breaking new land. In ’96, land which had borne 
potatoes three years and was originally of the lighter, sandy 
character, gave 36.5 bushels. In ’97, land broken in ’95 
and in corn the following year gave 47.3 bushels. In ’98, 
similar land, broken a year later, yielded 52.8 bushels. In 
°99, a field broken in ’97 and in corn in ’98, gave 56.1 
