164 



OATS 



Influence of Depth of Sowing Oats 



There would be some exceptions to the above. In regions of 

 low rainfall, west of the Missouri River, where the soil is often loose 

 and dry in the spring, there is little danger of seed rotting and it is 

 often best to plant two to three inches deep to insure sufficient 

 moisture. 



One of the common faults in sowing oats broadcast is getting a 

 part of the seed too shallow and a part too deep. It is important to 

 level the land first and cover with some tool that works at a shallow, 

 uniform depth, as a disk harrow or a narrow shovel cultivator. 



Oats as a Nurse Crop. Oats are not considered to be as desir- 

 able a crop to sow grass or clover with as wheat or barley. Oats have 

 more foliage and leave the ground drier after harvest. However, 

 it is the principal small grain crop in many regions, and for various 

 reasons is used to seed with in other places. 



In this case, drilling the oats is better than broadcasting, as the 

 grass and clover will get more sunshine, especially if the drill rows 

 are run north and south. Early varieties are preferred to late, as 

 the foliage is not so heavy. Thin sowing is often desirable, especially 

 on strong land not more than six pecks per acre. When the season 

 is dry, it will favor the seeding to cut the oats early for hay. 



Sowing Oats in Mixtures. Oats and barley are very commonly 

 grown as a mixture, especially in eastern Canada. At the Ontario 

 Experimental Farm extensive experiments have been made, showing 

 that a mixture of oats and barley always yields more grain per acre 

 than either crop sown alone. For six years, barley and oats were 

 mixed in various proportions and sown at different rates of seeding. 

 One bushel each of oats and barley produced the largest yield of 

 grain. Where the oat straw is used as feed there is some objection 



