OATS, BARLEY AND RYE 217 



Cost of Producing Oats. — The Bureau of Statistics of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture secured estimates from about 5000 

 farmers in all parts of the country on the cost of producing oats in 1909. 

 The estimates show an average cost of $10.91 an acre, or 31 cents a bushel. 

 On the same farms for that year the average value of the oat crop was 

 $14.08 an acre, or 40 cents a bushel. The average net return from grain 

 was estimated at $3.17 an acre, to which was added the value of by- 

 product to the amount of $1.42, making an average total profit of $4.59 

 per acre. 



Oat Improvement. — The improvement of this crop has received 

 much less attention from plant breeders and farmers than has corn and 

 wheat. There are, however, many varieties of oats, most of which have 

 originated through selection and breeding. It is important for the farmer 

 to secure a variety well suited to his local conditions, and to improve that 

 variety by thorough cleaning and grading of seed. There are oppor- 

 tunities, however, for improvement by selecting exceptional stools of 

 oats and threshing these by hand and planting each in a separate row. 

 These should be harvested separately and the best ones retained, threshed 

 and used for seeding longer rows the following year. In this way new 

 strains are frequently secured that are superior to the general crop. 



BARLEY 



The world's production of barley is about 1,500,000,000 bushels, of 

 which North America produces one-seventh. Of this the United States 

 produces 166,000,000 and Canada 48,000,000 bushels. In the United 

 States, California, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North and South Dakota lead 

 in barley production. These five states produce 73 per cent of all the 

 barley grown in the United States. 



Soil and Climatic Adaptation. — Barley is adapted to a wide range of 

 climatic conditions, but it does best in the North Temperate Zone. It is 

 somewhat more exacting in its soil requirements than either wheat or 

 oats. It does best on a well-drained loam that is well supplied with 

 organic matter. It is quite resistant on alkali soils, and is, therefore, 

 adapted to such soils in the irrigated districts. 



Classes and Varieties. — Barley is divided into two-rowed and six- 

 rowed forms, depending on the character of the spike or head. In the 

 United States the six-rowed form predominates. Manchuria and Oder- 

 brucken are the leading varieties of this type. It is also divided into 

 spring and winter, and bearded and beardless types. The bearded spring 

 varieties prevail. 



Preparation of Land and Seeding.— Barley demands a well-prepared 

 seed-bed, and should be seeded in the spring as soon as all danger of 

 freezing is past. Best results are secured by drilling at the rate of six 

 to eight pecks per acre. Broadcasting the seed usually gives much 

 lower yields than drilling. 



