OATS 



LIKE the other cereals, there are two classes, namely, spring and 

 winter. Winter oats are raised very generally throughout the 

 Southern states. 



Soil 



Oats require a fairly rich soil. While a heavy loam is very desirable, 

 if it contains too much organic matter, the growth of straw will be very 

 rank and liable to lodge, and the grain is not apt to be plump and heavy. 



Fertility 



It is not advisable to apply manure direct to oat land. Oats should 

 follow a crop that has been manured, unless the ground naturally con- 

 tains sufficient fertility. 



Rotation 



The oat has very deep and vigorous roots and is regarded as a better 

 rustler than wheat. If oats follow corn and the land was not plowed 

 during the fall, a good crop can usually be secured by thoroughly discing 

 the land without plowing, provided it was well cultivated and manured 

 for corn. If the land is plowed in the spring, it is apt to be loose, causing 

 the oats to lodge in the event of heavy storms. Oats should follow 

 rather than precede wheat in a rotation. 



Varieties 



It is impossible to recommend any special variety for all sections of the 

 country. In Minnesota and the Dakotas, where oats are grown very 

 extensively, it was found that a variety known as the "Kherson" made 

 an average yield of sixty-five and nine-tenths bushels. The Sixty-day 

 and the Swedish Select made an average of sixty-one and six-tenths 

 bushels. The Kherson variety proved to have the greatest smut- 

 resisting qualities. In Indiana, where tests were carried on for a period 

 of five years, there was very little difference in the yield between varie- 

 ties known as Czar of Russia, Great Dakota, Swedish Select and Silver 

 Mine. In Nebraska, experiments were carried on for a period of five 

 years, demonstrating that the Kherson gave the highest yield. 



Seed 



Home-grown seed is considered equal to, if not better than, seed 

 brought from another section. Iowa made some extensive experiments 

 during the years 1910 and 1911. Imported seed made an average yield 

 of forty-six bushels to the acre, and home-growTi seed made an average 

 of forty-seven and one-tenth bushels per acre. 



The Iowa experimental station concludes that ** Northern grown seed 



