is not superior for corn-belt conditions. The best corn-belt seed is bet- 

 ter than the farmer is likely to purchase elsewhere." 



"Where importations have been made with successful results, the 

 increase has been due to the securing of a better adapted variety and not 

 to the quality of the seed purchased." 



Diseases 



It is estimated that from two to five per cent of the oat crop is 

 destroyed by smut. Unless the smut is killed in the seed before it is 

 planted, it is very apt to transmit the disease to the crop. If, however, 

 the farmer will treat his seed with formaldehyde, he can in a great meas- 

 ure prevent it. In treating the seed, one pound or pint of formaldehyde 

 should be thoroughly mixed with about forty gallons of water. This 

 amount will treat forty bushels. No better rules governing the use of 

 formaldehyde can be given than those presented in Bulletin No. 123 

 issued by the Ames Iowa Agricultural Station. 



"1. Spread out forty bushels of oats on the floor five or six inches 

 deep. 



"2. Mix one pound of formaldehyde (40 per cent) with forty gallons 

 of water. Stir well. 



"3. Sprinkle the oats with the mixture in the barrel until they are 

 saturated. It is well at this point for one man to shovel the oats into a 

 pile while another sprinkles. They are not exposed to the air for so 

 long a time and less gas is lost. See that the pile is thoroughly soaked 

 when finished. 



"4. Cover the pile at once with the blankets and sacks so as to keep 

 the gas in where it will be effective. (It is this free gas that does the 

 work.) 



"5. Leave the pile covered for six to ten hours (over night); then 

 remove the blankets and shovel out thin to dry. Shovel them over 

 from time to time. 



"These oats may be sown as soon as they are dry enough to run 

 through the drill. Make allowance for the swollen condition of the seed 

 in setting the drill. It is a convenient plan to treat the oats late in the 

 afternoon, then they can be left over night in the pile without danger of 

 heating." 



If more oats are treated than are needed for seed, they may be fed 

 after one or two days. All the gas will have escaped. 



Oats for Forage 



If the oats are sown thick and are cut just as the grain is in the dough 

 and properly cured, they make splendid feed for cows and young stock. 

 In curing, great care should be taken to keep them from getting wet, nor 

 should they be permitted to lie on the ground until they are sun-burned. 



