OATS. 403 



there will be ready for the sickle generally in ninety days, 

 while here it requires, if sown early, one hundred and 

 twenty days. It is true, late sown oats will hurry up to 

 escape the heat, as Northern oats do to escape the cold. 

 Thus, oats sown in the middle or last of April, will be ready 

 for the harvest as soon as those sown in February, but the 

 early oats will weigh more to the bushel and will yield far 

 more to the acre. Oats should be cut early or late, as the 

 crop may be desired for food or seed. If for the latter, they 

 should be allowed to fully ripen, but if it is the inten- 

 tion to feed to stock, the oats should be cut as soon the 

 stem begins to turn yellow just below the head, and while 

 the foliage is yet green. At this time the grain is in the 

 dough state, and the stalk and leaves are yet full of saccha- 

 rine matters, and in "this condition the straw will make ex- 

 cellent hay, far superior to corn fodder, and but little in- 

 ferior to the best English hay, as will be seen by the 

 analyses here appended. Another reason is that in harvest- 

 ing, if the grain becomes fully matured, much of it will be 

 lost by shattering in the many handlings it must receive 

 before finally garnered. 



The manner of cutting is either by reapers or by cradles. 

 This is a matter of taste or convenience to "the farmer, and 

 is of little consequence. But it must be borne in mind that 

 all the juices remaining in the stem are of a soluble nature, 

 and the stem, after drying, is very porous, so that if al- 

 lowed to get wet the nutritive qualities are washed out. So 

 then, in view of this fact, great care must be observed in 

 properly shocking. Some bundles are, of course, exposed 

 to the weather, but let there be as few as possible. The 

 best manner is to make hand stacks, sloping the bundles in 

 such a manner as to shed the rain from the heads to the 

 stubs. Each stack contains about one hundred bundles 

 and tapers to a point, which is neatly capped, and the cap 

 tied. In this way but a small proportion of the straw will 

 get wet, and none of the grain heads. As soon as the oats 



