OATS CLIMATE, SOILS, TILLAGE, USES 291 



even on a well -prepared seed-bed, drilled oats yield better 

 as a rule than when sown broadcast and harrowed or 

 plowed in. The reasons for this are: (1) the drilled seed 

 are covered at a uniform depth and a more perfect germi- 

 nation is secured; (2) the drilled seed being placed in the 

 bottom of shallow furrows are less subject to winter-kill- 

 ing; and (3) drilled seed will better withstand dry weather 

 than seed sown broadcast. Drilling as compared with 

 broadcast sowing requires less seed to the acre and often 

 induces better preparation of the seed-bed. In using the 

 grain drill one should be careful to see that none of the 

 drills become clogged, or that the oats do not stick to- 

 gether, resulting in an uneven distribution. This is 

 especially important in sowing seed of the Red Rust-proof 

 type. 



354. The open^furrow method of seeding. The 

 method of seeding oats in the bottom of rather deep fur- 

 rows, 16 to 24 inches apart, by means of an ordinary 

 single-row planter or a seed-drill especially devised for 

 the purpose was first suggested and tested by the Georgia 

 Station. When a one-horse planter is used the furrows 

 are first opened with a large shovel plow. The recent 

 invention of an " open-furrow " drill which sows several 

 rows at a time will doubtless eliminate the chief objection 

 to the open-furrow method of seeding oats, namely, its 

 slowness. Where fertilizers are needed a drill with a fer- 

 tilizer attachment may be used, thus distributing the 

 fertilizer in the furrows with the seed. 



The main advantage of the open-furrow method of 

 seeding oats is that it permits the roots and crowns of 

 the plants to develop two or three inches below the sur- 

 face. While the furrows are partially filled by rains and 

 the alternate freezing and thawing of the soil, the plants 



