PREPARING OAT SEED 175 



cultivating necessary to cover the seed. This is a cheap 

 but a very slovenly method of farming, which, while it may 

 occasionally produce good returns, is quite likely to result 

 in reduced yields because it does not put the soil in proper 

 condition for the germination of the seed or the retention 

 of moisture for the growth of the crop. 



212. Preparing the Seed for Planting. It is even more 

 important to grade seed oats before sowing than seed wheat, 

 for in most years there is a larger proportion of weak, shrunken 

 kernels in oats than in wheat. These kernels are slow in 

 germinating, or do not grow at all. The plants produced 

 from them are small and weak, and never yield so well 

 as those from large, plump kernels. Oats very frequently 

 contain a considerable proportion of weed seeds, chaff, and 

 dirt, all of which tend to reduce the stand by lessening the 

 quantity of good seed which is sown. Thorough cleaning 

 of the seed with the fanning mill or by some other means is 

 advisable, and usually pays well for the necessary time and 

 labor. Treating the seed with a solution of formaldehyde 

 before sowing will destroy oat smut (Section 237). Details 

 of the treatment have already been given (Section 196,c). 



213. Time for Sowing. Oats should be sown as early 

 in the spring as the ground can be put in condition, for usualty 

 the plants are not seriously injured by late frosts, and best 

 results are obtained when the crop makes as much growth 

 as possible before hot weather. All tests which have been 

 made by the experiment stations favor early seeding. The 

 exact date of seeding naturally depends on the locality and 

 the season. Seeding may be entirely finished during an 

 early spring at an earlier date than it can be begun in a back- 

 ward one. In general, the best date from Kansas eastward 

 is during the latter half of March. In Nebraska, Illinois, 

 Iowa, and other states in the same latitude, the first half of 

 April is usually the seeding season, though in exceptional 

 years seeding may be finished before April 1, or may be 



