OATS, BARLEY, AND RYE 141 



a harrow to make sure that all the seed is covered 

 and to leave a mulch on the surface. (Fig. 76.) 



Oats in Rotation. Some farmers sow too much 

 seed. From many tests it is found that about ten 

 'pecks of good seed to the acre gives the best crop. 

 Oats fit in nicely in almost any rotation system. In 

 wheat sections of the West the crops follow one 

 another in the order of com, oats, and wheat, each 

 one year, followed by clover and timothy, two years. 

 Farmers in the corn belt have a three year rotation 

 of com, oats, and clover. 



Harvesting. The oat crop should be harvested 

 when the grain has just passed from the **milk 

 stage'' into the ** dough stage,'' or very soon after- 

 ward. If there are many weeds the sheaves may 

 be set in uncovered shocks so the sun and wind can 

 dry them out. Wlien oats are thoroughly dry and 

 the weather is good they can be threshed from the 

 field. This saves time and labor in the busy season 

 of the year. But if oats are exposed to storms while 

 in the shock their color changes slightly. This does 

 not injure the feeding value but the farmer will not 

 get so good a price for them in the market. 



The most convenient time to market the oat crop 

 is at threshing time. This saves extra handling of 

 the grain and the trouble of storing it. But if the 

 price is low it is often better to house it. Oats, like 

 all grains, will lose some weight in storage. To get 

 the best price any grain must be sweet, free from 

 weed seeds, and have a good color. 



