FIELD CROPS 475 



the practice has not yet been tested enough to justify a statement of 

 its value, it seems to be worthy of limited trial, particularly in the 

 drier sections, where it is most likely to prove a success. Some 

 Ohio and Indiana farmers have grown good crops of oats from seed 

 sown broadcast on the snow in February, depending on later freezes 

 and thaws to cover the seed. Seeding in this way can not be gener- 

 ally recommended, as the chances of loss are too great. 



All tests conducted by the experiment stations are favorable to 

 early spring seeding as compared with later seeding. 



The exact date of seeding naturally depends on the locality 

 and the season. 



The rate of seeding depends on the locality, the condition and 

 fertility of the soil, the method of seeding, and the size of the seed. 

 As with other crops, less seed is required in dry than in humid sec- 

 tions. Fertile soils require less seed than poor ones, as on rich land 

 the plants grow larger and tiller more. More seed should be sown, 

 on weedy land or on land not well prepared than on clean, mellow 

 soil. Drilling requires less seed than sowing broadcast. More 

 bushels of large-grained than of small-grained oats should be sown 

 on an acre. The number of grains in a measured bushel of oat8 

 ranges from 500,000 to 750,000, according to the variety. The 

 large-grained varieties usually grow ranker and the plants occupy 

 more space than the small-grained ones, but the difference in the 

 size of the plants does not equalize the difference in thickness of 

 stand caused by the greater number of plants produced by a bushel 

 of small-grained oats. 



In general, the rate of seeding in the upper Mississippi Valley 

 ranges from 8 to 12 pecks to the acre, but in the drier sections of 

 the West this rate is reduced by half. In the irrigated sections 6 

 to 8 pecks is the common rate. Where the usual rate in broadcast 

 seeding is 12 pecks, 10 pecks will be sufficient if the seed is drilled. 



Many experiments have been conducted to determine the best 

 rate of seeding in different localities. These experiments show, in 

 general, that tillering depends very largely on the thickness of the 

 stand and that within certain limits the plants on thinly seeded 

 plats will tiller sufficiently to bring the number of stalks up to that 

 produced by thick seeding. Thus, there is often little difference 

 in the yield of grain or straw harvested from widely differing rates 

 of seeding. Seeding at the rate of 10 pecks is recommended when 

 ordinary methods of preparation and seeding are followed. 



Two methods of seeding oats are in common use, drilling and 

 sowing broadcast. The greater portion of the oat crop is sown 

 broadcast and the seed covered with the disk or smoothing harrow. 

 The ideal method of seeding is one which distributes the seed 

 evenly over the ground and covers it to a uniform depth of about 1 

 inch. Neither of these results is obtained in broadcast seeding, but 

 both results are possible by drilling. Less seed is necessary, the 

 depth of covering is more nearly uniform, the seed germinates more 

 evenly, and the growth throughout the season is better when the 

 seed is drilled. 



