oats. 3.73 



Harvesting for Grain. 



In the cool, moist districts, where the binder is usually used for harvesting, 

 the crop should be cut when the heads are well whitened, of a nice even 

 colour, and the grain firm. It is very necessary to harvest before the chaff 

 opens, as otherwise a considerable quantity will be lost through shedding. 

 When the stripper or harvester is used, a considerable quantity of the grain 

 has usually shelled before the crop is quite ready to strip, consequently the 

 yield from a stripped crop is never as high as would have been the case had 

 the reaper and binder been used. 



Oaten Hay for Market. 



There is always a good demand for oaten hay on the Sydney market, and 

 if the sample is bright and clean, and has fine stems, not too long, and of 

 a nice, purplish-green colour, good prices are assured. It should be pressed 

 in bales about 1% cwt. in weight, but certainly not heavier than 2 cwt. The 

 bulk of this commodity is utilised by horse-trainers for rack purposes, and 

 from these men the best prices are obtained. They prefer hay that has been 

 cut with the mower and cocked in the field, as it is usually more evenly 

 made. Algerian is the variety in greatest favour. The hay, if cut with the 

 binder, should have the bands taken off the sheaves, and should be shaken 

 up before being put in the press. On no account should the hay be pressed 

 with the butts showing all the one way at the ends of the bale. The bales 

 should have three wire bands of No. 8 or No. 10 inch gauge. The hay 

 should not be pressed with a derrick press, but with one of the " Clyde " or 

 " Koertz " type. 



Oaten Chaff. 



There is always a strong demand for prime oaten chaff on the Sydney 

 market. It should be about | of an inch in length, clean cut, of pleasant 

 odour, free from mustiness, and of a nice, purplish-green colour. Like 

 oaten hay, the bulk is used by horse-trainers or for horses doing fast work. 

 Unlike wheaten chaff, oaten chaff is preferred with a fair quantity of grain. 

 It should be put up in new bags, weighing from 85 to 112 lb. Algerian is ' 

 preferred to " white oaten " on account of its generally being sweeter. 



Oats as a Check to Take-all and Flag Smut. 



Throughout the wheat-belt of this State the wheat diseased Take-all and 

 Flag Smut, appear to lie getting more prevalent from year to year, and unless 

 methods of checking them are adopted they will he the means of seriously 

 reducing the annual production of wheat in this State. Flag Smut has never 

 been known to attack oats, and there is only one case on record in this State 

 where Take-all has been found on this cereal. Each of the diseases is due 

 to a fungus, and the growing of oats in paddocks where the previous wheat 

 crops were badly affected with either disease materially assj-ts in starving 

 tin- fungus out. 



Where Take-all or Smut are present to a very large extent the following 

 rotation is recommended:— 



1st year. Wheat crop affected with Take-all or Flag Smut 



2nd year. Bare tallow, or fodder crop of oats. 



3rd year. Crop of oats for hay or grain. 



4th year. Bare fallow, or fodder crop of oats. 



5th' year. Wheat. 



