PREPARING THE LAND 173 



lacking in potassium, the use of fertilizers containing; that 

 mineral usually greatly increases the yield, and at the same 

 time tends toward the production of stiffer straw. In 

 general, where the use of commercial fertilizers is necessary, 

 the largest yields are obtained from the application of small 



Figure 68. — A sample of oats as it came from thethreshiug maohine; weight, 30 

 pounds to the bushel. 



quantities of a mixture of all three of the important fertiUz- 

 ing elements, nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. 



211. Preparing the Land. As early seechng is desirable 

 in order to have the crop mature before hot weather, the 

 preparation of the seed bed should begin just as soon as 

 the land is in condition to work in the spring. A mellow, 

 rather loose surface soil with a firm subsoil is best for oats. 

 On fields where a cultivated crop was grown the previous 

 season, this is most quickly and easily obtained by the use 

 of the disk and smoothing harrows. If the soil is natu- 

 rally rather loose or if the field had been plowed for the pre- 

 ceding crop, such as corn or potato land, just as good yields 

 are often obtained by disking without plowing as from any 



