FIELD CROPS 499 



The color of the Sixty-Day and the Kherson oats varies with 

 'the locality. In the corn belt the grain is a deep golden yellow, 

 while farther north and in drier sections it is much paler, becoming 

 almost white in the extreme West and Northwest. The hull is 

 very thin and the weight per bushel usually high. The crop ordi- 

 narily reaches maturity in 90 to 100 days, or about 10 days earlier 

 than most of the varieties commonly grown. 



Desirable and Undesirable Characters. The principal objec- 

 tions urged by farmers against this class of oats are the yellow color 

 and the small size of the berry. In some markets there is a dis- 

 crimination in favor of white oats of 1 or 2 cents a bushel, but by 

 far the larger portion of our oat crop is fed on the farms where 

 produced, and yellow oats are just as good for feeding as those of 

 any other color. On the other hand, on account of its thin hull 

 this particular type of oats is higher in feeding value than are most 

 other varieties. In tests made some years ago in which samples of 

 a number of varieties from Wisconsin, North Dakota, Kansas, and 

 Montana were examined, the Kherson and the Sixty-Day oats ranked 

 highest in the proportion of kernel to whole grain in every case. 

 The highest percentage recorded was 78.07, from a sample of Kher- 

 son grown in Wisconsin in 1905, while the lowest was 54.86, from 

 a sample of white oats grown in the same State the following year. 

 Kherson and Sixty-Day oats grown under exactly the same condi- 

 tions as this latter sample showed more than 70 per cent of kernel. 

 The average of 12 samples of these two varieties showed 73.3 per 

 cent of kernel, while 39 samples of other varieties showed 69.2 per 

 cent. On this basis, where ordinary oats are worth 50 cents a 

 bushel for feeding, the Sixty-Day and the Kherson are worth 53 

 cents. Frequently the difference in favor of the latter varieties is 

 even greater. The North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station 

 says that on account of its thin hull the Sixty-Day is worth 4 or 5 

 cents more a bushel for feeding than some other varieties. 



In some sections the Kherson and the Sixty-Day oats mature 

 at the same time as winter wheat, and for that reason are not popular, 

 though by some the fact that they can be harvested and thrashed at 

 the same time as wheat is considered an advantage. This early 

 thrashing enables the grower to market his oats ahead of the main 

 crop, sometimes at much better prices than can be obtained later. 

 In the spring-wheat district or where large acreages of oats are 

 grown, they extend the length of the harvest season. 



On account of their short straw and early maturity they are 

 among the best varieties for use as nurse crops. Their yield of straw 

 is less than that of most other varieties, so that where a large quantity 

 of roughage is desired this type of oats is not to be recommended. 

 The straw is of excellent quality, however, and is readily eaten by 

 stock. Less seed can be used than of the large-grained varieties. 

 Seeding at the rate of 2 bushels to the acre is sufficient where 2 Ms 

 bushels is the ordinary rate. 



Adaptability to Various Sections. While neither the Kherson 

 nor the Sixty-Day oat has yet been tested over the entire oat-growing 



