OATS. 



363 



From a bay point of view, very early sowiftg has a tendency to induce a 

 heavy growth of Bag, which in wet seasons may turn brown ami much 

 detract from the quality of the resultant crop. 



Selection of Seed. 



Oats for seed should be obtained from a reliable source, and only sound, 

 plump grain, preferably graded, should be sown. Cultivated oats are sup- 

 posed by some to have originated from the wild oat (A vena fatim), and 

 there are farmers who believe that they throw back to the original wild 

 Strain; this idea has arisen from the appearance of dark-coloured grains in 

 a sample having a hairy end or point. These are retrogressive mutations 

 which occur in cultivated oats, but are not derived from the wild oat, as 

 breeding tests have proved. This fact, together with the extreme prevalence 

 of the wild oat as a weed, has probably led to the notion. There are scores 

 of instances where wheat paddocks are overrun with this pest, though oats 



A Good Crop of Lachlan Oats, Cowra Experiment Farm. 



have never at any time been sown in them. Farmers need have no fear that 

 by growing oats in their wheat paddocks they are likely to introduce black 

 oats on to their farms, unless, of course, the seed contains seed of that pest. 

 As a matter of fact, the cultivated oat is botanically quite a different plant 

 from the wild or black oat. 



For hay purposes, seeds oats from a cooler district appear to give more 

 vigorous growth than seed raised in a relatively warm climate. For grain 

 production, however, seed oats grown in the district where they are intended 

 to be sown is recommended. It has also been noticed that seed taken from a 

 cool district to a hot one has a tendency to become paler in the colour of the 

 husk; brown oats raised in New England have a darker tint than the same 

 variety raised in the western or Riverina districts. The thickness of the 

 husk varies too with the climate. 



