94 OATS 



Russian, and Champion. The Sixty Day or Kherson rep- 

 resents one of the best examples of the early short-straw 

 varieties. This variety is grown extensively on the low 

 rich grounds where the later maturing and long-straw 

 varieties are likely to rust and lodge. 



The agricultural experiment stations of America and 

 Europe are now breeding special varieties of oats that 

 are superior in yield and quality to the common oats used 

 in past years. 



Soil and Climatic Conditions. Oats can be grown under 

 a wide variation of soil and climatic conditions. For best 

 production a cool climate and a rich clay loam are most 

 favorable. Oats may serve as a crop for newly cleared 

 lands or they can be grown on old soils. They are an 

 excellent nurse crop with which to seed down fields to the 

 various grasses and clovers. When used as a nurse crop 

 with clover only about i bushel of seed is used per acre, 

 otherwise oats are usually sown at the rate of from 2 to 3 

 bushels per acre. 



Harvesting and Threshing. Oats are ready for the 

 harvester in 80 to 1 20 days after seeding and should be cut 

 as soon as the leaves and stalks have turned yellow. When 

 used for hay they should be cut while yet green but after 

 fully headed. If used for hay the oats are cut with a mower, 

 and in curing are handled like our common grasses or 

 clovers. When harvested for the grain, oats should re- 

 main in the shock for 3 to 5 days and then be hauled into 

 the barn or stacked. Before threshing they should be left 

 in the barn or stack for 2 to 3 weeks to go through the 

 " sweat," otherwise they will heat in the bin after thresh- 

 ing. Threshing directly from the field reduces the quality 

 of the oats and should be condemned. 



