482 FIELD AND GARDEN PRODUCTS 



or drought and by rust and other plant diseases. Oats require com- 

 paratively cool weather for their best growth, so that those which 

 mature earliest usually yield best, as the conditions are better suited 

 to their development. The early maturity incident to fall seeding 

 also allows the crop to be removed from the land earlier than spring 

 seeding, giving more time for the preparation of the soil, seeding, 

 and the growing of the following crop. 



In order to obtain a satisfactory crop of spring oats it is neces- 

 sary in the extreme South to sow the grain in January or early in 

 February, and in February or early March farther north. At this 

 time the ground is usually wet ana cold and is not in condition to 

 make a good seed bed. Clay soils may be materially injured by 

 working them when wet, and only very sandy ones can be handled 

 satisfactorily in this condition. On the other hand, at the time 

 when the grain should be sown in the fall the ground is ordinarily 

 in good condition to work, and a good, mellow seed bed can be pre- 

 pared. This better preparation starts the young plants into vigor- 

 ous growth and they go into winter in good shape. Seed sown in 

 the winter or early spring on poorly prepared land is handicapped 

 by this poor preparation, grows slowly, and is never as vigorous as 

 that sown in a good seed bed. 



Varieties of Winter Oats. The varieties of winter oats com- 

 monly grown in the South are of one or the other of two types, the 

 Red Rustproof and the Winter Turf. The Red Rustproof type in* 

 eludes the common Red Rustproof under several similar names and 

 several selections and strains of that variety under entirely different 

 names. Only one variety of the Winter Turf type is commonly 

 grown, though many names are applied to it. 



Sections Where Winter Oats Can Be Grown. No definite 

 limits can be drawn marking the sections where winter oats can or 

 can not be grown. The variety, the method of preparation, the 

 time and manner of seeding, the kind of land on which the crop is 

 grown, and the climatic conditions of the particular section must 

 all be taken into account. Varieties of the Winter Turf type can 

 be grown in colder sections than those of the Red Rustproof type. 

 Oats sown early in drills or furrows on well-prepared land often 

 survive the winter in the same locality where those sown under less 

 favorable conditions winterkill. Winter oats may be successfully 

 grown in a particular section for several years; a season may then 

 come when the crop will be entirely destroyed by cold or other un- 

 favorable conditions. 



SOILS AND FERTILIZERS FOR OATS. 



As quick growth and early maturity are essential to the success 

 of the oat crop in the South, the soils and fertilizers which will pro- 

 duce these results should be selected. 



The soil for oats should be reasonably fertile and should hold 

 moisture well, as this crop requires a large amount of water and 

 may be severely injured by drought. Any soil which will grow a 

 good crop of cotton or corn will produce oats, though the best re- 

 sults will be secured on the heavier loams. A well-fertilized sandy 



