MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 63 



ture and light, quite completely. In this closet it is easily pos- 

 sible to maintain a temperature which does not run at any time 

 below 70 degrees. The closet being perfectly tight it is possi- 

 ble to saturate the air with moisture quite easily and virtually 

 convert the whole space into a great moist chamber. With this 

 arrangement one is able to grow oats from 4 to 6 inches high 

 in one week's time. The only difficulty with which one has to 

 contend is the matter of mould. There is always a tendency 

 for the oats to mould in the sprouting process. The only way 

 in which it has been found possible to control this mould is by 

 thoroughly cleaning the flats after each time when they are used. 

 After a flat has been emptied it is thoroughly scrubbed with a 

 50 per cent, solution of formalin (that is, equal parts of com- 

 mercial formalin and water). Enough formalin is used to soak 

 the flat well. With this precaution, and if the oats are further 

 made to grow rapidly, the mould does not give any trouble 

 whatever. 



The actual method of sprouting the oats is as follows : Clean 

 and sound oats are soaked in water over night in a pail. The 

 next morning flats are filled to the depth of about two inches, 

 and put into the sprouting closet. At the beginning freshly 

 filled flats are placed near the top of the closet 'so as to get the 

 maximum amount of heat, and in that way get the sprouts 

 started at once. During the first few days, until the sprouts 

 have become from a half to three-quarters of an inch long, the 

 oats are thoroughly stirred and raked over at least two or three 

 times during the day. This stirring insures an even distribu- 

 tion of moisture throughout the mass of oats in the flat. After 

 the sprouts become sufficiently long so that the oats form a 

 matted mass it is not desirable to stir them, or to disturb them 

 in any way. Stirring at that time will break off and injure the 

 sprouts and the green portion above the mass will not grow so 

 well. The matter of prime importance in growing the oats 

 successfully has been found to be sufficient moisture. The 

 tendency at first is to use too little moisture. The oats should 

 be kept quite wet. The aim here is to keep condensed moisture 

 standing on the glass doors which form the front of the closet 

 at all times. In order to do this it is found necessary to wet 

 the oats three times a day. This is done with an ordinary green- 

 house sprinkling can, with very little expenditure of time or 



