OATS 103 



the method is practically the same as for the seed wheat. 

 With so simple and sure a remedy for smut, every farmer 

 who lives in a smut region should treat his seed before 

 sowing. It costs very little, and may result in an increase 

 of several bushels of oats to the acre. 



TOPICS FOR INVESTIGATION 



1. How did your father prepare the ground for oats 

 last fall or spring? Were they sown on corn land? If so, 

 were the stalks broken down, or pastured close? Was the 

 ground disked before the oats were sown? If so, how many 

 diskings ? If more than one, was the second disking across 

 the first, or by lapping? Which is the better way? How 

 many harrowings did the oats receive? 



2. At what date are oats usually sown in your region? 

 When does harvest begin? How many days, then, are re- 

 quired for the crop to mature ? How much seed does your 

 father use to the acre? 



3. Collect samples of unthrashed oats, and examine 

 (1) for each kind of rust; (2) for each kind of smut. If 

 it is not possible to find unthrashed oats, examine straw for 

 rust and evidences of smut. 



4. Did rust or smut damage the crop in your region 

 last season? Does your father treat his seed oats for 

 smut? If so, by what method? Suppose your crop was 

 reduced two per cent, by smut, how much did you lose per 

 acre ? How much on the entire crop ? Would this not more 

 than pay for treating the seed ? 



5. Does your father always run his seed oats through 

 a fanning mill to select the better grains and remove weed 

 seed? How long will it take to run one hundred bushels 

 through a fanning mill? Suppose it results in an increase 

 in yield of two bushels per acre, how much profit would 

 there be from the cleaning? 



6. Have you seen oats left in the shock until they 

 were damaged, either by wet weather, or by shattering? 

 About how much per acre does it cost to stack oats ? Sup- 

 pose there is a loss of one bushel to the acre by allowing 



