128 FARM AND SCHOOL PRUI.LEMS. 



4. Select a variety that has been tested and found successful. 



5. There must be thorough preparation of the seed bed to a uniform 

 depth. 



6. If there is danger of having smut, treat the seed with formaldehyde. 



7. Use a drill for seeding, to get even and uniform distribution of seed. 



8. Sow the right quantity of seed. (Study your state experiment station 

 tests). 



9. Oats should be cut and shocked as soon as ripe. 



10. To get oats that is bright in color and crisp in texture, let them 

 "sweat out" in the stack or mow. 



Loss From Smut. 



1. It has been estimated that 5 per cent of Iowa's oat crop is annually 

 destroyed by smut. If the total production of oats in Iowa in 1910 

 was 192,780,000 bushels, what was the total loss in bushels caused 

 by smut? 



2. If the loss of oats is approximately 2 bushels per acre and results 

 in a loss on the average of 80 bushels per farm in Iowa, what would 

 have been the net gain if this loss had been prevented at a cost of 

 $1.00 for formaldehyde and $1.00 for labor? 



Write to your experiment station for directions in treating 

 oats for smut. 



Make a list of causes of poor oats' and wheat crops in your 

 neighborhood and write on this page. 



