30' 



THE CEREALS IN AMERICA 



may be sprinkled over the oats, the grain being stirred mean- 

 while, when one gallon of the solution will be sufficient for four 

 bushels of oats ; or the oats may be placed in gunny sacks and 

 submerged in the liquid for ten minutes. The sacks are then 

 allowed to drain for several minutes, when the oats are spread 

 out to dry. In this case more liquid will be required. 



408. Rate of Seeding. — The rate is not materially modified 

 by the thickness of seeding within certain limits. The oat 

 plant, like the wheat plant, has the ability to adapt itself to its 

 surroundings, so that where it is thinly planted it stools more 

 than where thickly planted. On some soils, at least, the thinly 

 sown oats are later in maturing, and the proportion of straw is 

 greater. No definite rule can be laid down, but sowing from 

 two to three bushels, according to fertility of soil, preparation of 

 seed bed, manner of seeding and size of seed may be taken as 

 a safe guide for spring sowing in Northern States. The number 

 of seeds in a pound of oats has been found to vary with differ- 

 ent varieties from about 1 1,000 to about 30,000. The following 

 table shows the rate of seeding per acre which gave the most 

 satisfactory results at the several stations indicated : 



Rate of Sowing in Pecks per Acre. 



Station 



Illinois 

 Indiana 

 Kansas 

 Kentucky 

 Minnesota . 

 North Dakota 

 Ohic 



Pennsylvania 

 South Dakota 

 Utah . 



No. pecks 



10 

 8 



16 

 8 

 9 

 9 

 9-10 



14 

 12 

 8 



