SHOCKING OATS 



193 



may be fed in the straw like hay. The only difference is 

 that if it is to be fed as hay, the crop should be cut before 

 it is fully ripe, as many of the leaves will be lost in handling 

 if the grain is allowed to mature, and the straw will not be of 

 as good quality for feed. Grain which is cut with the mower 

 should be handled as little as possible to avoid shattering. 

 Oats should not be cut till they have passed the hard dough 

 stage, or the yield 

 will be reduced 

 and the grain will 

 be green and 

 shrunken. The 

 best time to cut 

 is just before the 

 heads turn yellow, 

 as the filling of 

 the grain will 

 then be com- 

 pleted in the 

 shock and there 

 will be no loss 

 from shattering. 

 Winter oats in 

 the South are har- 

 vested in the 

 latter part of May and the first half of June. The har- 

 vesting of spring oats is begun in Texas and other Southern 

 states in June, and is completed in the North about 

 September 1. Oat harvest in Illinois and Iowa is in the 

 month of July. 



235. Shocking. Oats cut with the grain binder are 

 usually set up to cure in shocks of ten or twelve bundles. 

 As with other grains, the bundles should be set firmly on the 



shock of oats. 



