STORING OATS IN BARNS OR STACKS 169 



The secret of securing fine, sweet oats, of good color, is proper 

 curing in the shock. 



Threshing Oats. When a threshing machine is available, just 

 as soon as the oats are cured, it is practicable and cheaper to thresh 

 from the shock. Investigations in Minnesota have shown a cost of 

 about four cents a bushel to thresh from the shock, and about five 

 cents to stack and thresh. If oats can not be threshed at once from 

 the shock, they are then in danger of injury from rain. A heavy 

 storm or two may easily damage oats enough to lower them one or 

 two market grades. This means a loss of three to four cents per 



FIG. 59. Good shocks of oats, well capped. 



bushel. When used for home feeding, the loss may be even greater 

 if the straw is also valued. 



Storing Oats in Barns or Stacks. On the eastern farms there 

 is usually barn room enough to store the oats in straw, but this is not 

 the case in other places. Stacking is an art acquired only by long 

 experience, and only a few principles can be mentioned. A good 

 stack must be built very compact in the center, so that in settling 

 the outer layers settle more than the center, thus giving a down- 

 ward slant to the straw. To accomplish this the stack is kept high in 

 the center, especially above the bulge. One danger in a high center 

 is that the stack will spread as it settles. To prevent this, the cone 



