272 



SMALL GRAIN CROPS 



The oat plant does not thrive well in warm climates, 

 but its yield gradually increases from eighteen bushels 

 in our southern states to fifty or seventy-five in the 

 northern states. In Canada, Montana, and North Dakota 

 it is not uncommon for the yield to exceed one hundred 

 bushels per acre. See Appendix A, Chart II, page 4(57. 



The Experiment Stations of Minnesota, Ohio, and 

 Kansas have been giving considerable attention to oats in 



the hope of improving 



the yield and quality. 

 They have found that 

 large, heavy seeds pro- 

 duce better yields and 

 a better quality of grain 

 than the lighter and 

 smaller seeds. They 

 have also found that 

 drilling gives better re- 

 sults than broadcasting, 

 and that there is a 

 marked difference in the 

 different varieties of oats 

 in respect to resistance 



BARLEY GRAINS. 



Compare these in size and appearance 

 with wheat, oats, and rye. 



to disease and drought. 



Some farmers do not consider oats a profitable crop. 

 This may be true under certain conditions. A low 

 estimate of the cost of raising and harvesting an acre of 

 oats, including the rent of the land and the thrashing 

 bill, is ten dollars. A yield of twenty bushels at forty 

 cents a bushel would mean a gross income of only eight 

 dollars, or a loss of two dollars per acre. This, of course, 

 would not be good farming. A yield of fifty bushels, 

 on the other hand, would give a profit of about ten 

 dollars. 



