PREPARATION OF SEED-BED 

 A 6-Year Rotation 



159 





In this case no direct fertilization would be applied to the oats, 

 but they would benefit from manure applied to corn. 



On heavy cold soils farmers often find it profitable to apply some 

 fertilizer to all cereal crops to give a good spring growth. In many 

 regions where the oat crop is grown extensively, little or no wheat is 

 cultivated, and the oats receive fertilizer. This is particularly true 

 where oats are used as a nurse crop for young grass and clover, in 

 part for the benefit of the seeding. 



Kind of Fertilizer. Fertilizer applied directly to oats appar- 

 ently gives best results in northeastern United States where soils are 

 heavy clay, and in the South on winter oats. In this region 

 usually more potash is recommended for oats than for wheat or 

 barley, probably due to the heavy growth of straw and tendency to 

 lodge. For example, a complete fertilizer for wheat, commonly rec- 

 ommended, would contain nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash in 

 ratio of 4-8-5 or 4-12-4, while for oats 4-6-6 or 4-6-9 would prob- 

 ably be recommended. From 100 to 400 pounds per acre are applied. 



In the Corn Belt States it seems rather clear that for all crops 

 phosphorus is the element least available in the soil. Experiments, 

 in general, show that here phosphate alone or with only a small 

 amount of nitrogen and potash is most profitable. Oats are here 

 grown in rotation with corn, wheat, and grass, and very little 

 fertilizer is applied directly to the oat crop. 



Preparation of Seed-bed. In practically all grain-growing sec- 

 tions it is the custom to give less preparation for oats than for either 

 wheat, corn, or barley. In the Middle West experiment stations, 

 with loam soils, practically as good results have been secured with 

 oats when corn-stalk land is prepared by double disking as when 

 plowed and thoroughly harrowed. While with wheat or corn, early, 

 deep plowing and thorough harrowing is always recommended. In 

 the eastern States where clay soils are common, plowing for oats has 



