August 8, 1878. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
117 
districts and in exposed situations along the coast, it is the only 
grain crop grown, and this circumstance, together with the diffi_ 
culties of harvesting on the elevated lands and backward climates | 
makes it desirable to select such varieties of oats as will not readily 
shed or whip-out by the wind. On the other hand, it is desir- 
able to grow a forward sort of grain in order to its early harvest- 
ing in the most unfavourable districts. The winter-sown in 
the autumn will come earliest to harvest, and this sort, as well 
as the Potato Oat, the Hopetown, the Poland, and Black Siberian, 
each of these kinds is adapted in some respects for a backward 
climate, Still they are open-hawed, and in exposed situations it 
is very difficult to secure the crop without loss by shaking. Under 
these circumstances they should be cut very early and tied 
into sheaves. These are, however, sorts which recommend them- 
selves to our notice by the fact that, being close and cluster- 
hawed, they will stand almost any amount of wind without loss 
of the grain. These are the Black and White Tartarian varieties, 
and they are capital croppers ; but the white sort is rather late 
and not quite so well adapted for the northern climate. It is) 
however, invaluable for growth in elevated and exposed districts 
for we have never known it shed the grain, and it has been 
lately very much improved as a pedigree oat by careful selection» 
and the gain is now much superior to what it used to be, and 
the straw of this sort is excellent food for cattle. 
The oat crop is rarely ever cut soon enough, and it may be 
said as a rule, that when the straw is tuned yellow the sooner 
the crop is cut the better both as regards the value of the grain 
and straw as fodder, because a portion of sap will then be in 
the straw, and when properly dried before harvesting contributes 
greatly to its feeding value. If the crop is allowed to stand 
until fully ripe of all the open-hulled sorts, such as the White 
Canadian, the Winter Oat, and the other sorts before named; 
they can scarcely be harvested without serious loss, even when 
cut and tied, for the grain will fall out greatly even in the act 
of cutting and tying. The Tartarian varieties, both Black and 
White, are now very much in favour even on the best lands 
and superior climates of the southern and eastern counties, for 
they will not only yield an abundant crop both of straw and 
grain, but they may be allowed to remain uncut for a consider- 
able time if other more urgent work requires immediate at- 
tention. They will also when cut, tied, and stood up in shock, 
remain without serious injury in case of a showery or wet harvest- 
We haye found the White sort in good condition after standing 
in shock for a month; but there is a point to be considered in 
all cases where the crop is sheayed and allowed to stand a con- 
siderable time in shock. It will perish the clover plants under 
the shocks; and as it is a common practice to sow clover in the 
oat crop this is an important consideration, and there is no 
way of saying the clover except by constantly, or every three 
or four days, removal of the shocks on to fresh ground. 
The reaping machine and self-binder is as well adapted for 
cutting and tying the oat crop as for wheat. But in case of wire 
being used for binding the sheaves it will prove very difficult to 
deal with unless the wire is removed from the sheaves at the 
time of thrashing, which will prove not only expensive but cause 
delay. On the other hand, if the wire is passed through the 
thrashing machine with the straw it proves a serious evil, being 
mixed up with the straw when used for fodder, whether the 
straw is giyen to the cattle whole and loose, or whether it is 
eut into chaff; in fact, it cannot be cut into chaff without great 
difficulty, and if it could be accomplished there is still the liability 
of injury to cattle swallowing the small pieces of wire with the 
chaff. The tying of the fodder crops either of oats or barley 
with wire must be abandoned, and the sheaves tied by hand with 
Straw bonds, until some further improvement and discovery is 
made as to binding materials. Tying with yar has been at- 
tempted but has failed, and even if it had succeeded as a tying 
material it would be very objectionable to be cut up with straw 
as food for cattle. We have sometimes found that when the 
crops of oats are very abundant, that the straw will be much 
‘to the working of oxen for tillage. 
laid and twisted. In that case it will be often advisable to resort 
to the use of the fagging hook for cutting, as the means of saying 
the most grain and straw, more particularly of the tender and 
delicate sorts of white oats. It is also desirable that the sheaves 
should not be tied very large, say from 14 to 15 inches through 
at the bond, for in case the sheaves get wet outside by rain,.or 
tied-up when wet, they will not get dry so quickly as wheat. Oats 
have so much more leaf attached to the straw, and it entails so 
much labour and loss to untie the sheaves, that there is always 
more liability to heating in a rick of oats than of wheat, especi- 
ally when the crop is seeded with clover. In this case the crop 
will be required to stand much longer in shock. 
Cutting oats with the scythe and carting to rick as loose corn 
is still practised where the crop is light, and no doubt it becomes 
fit for the stack sooner, but in case of rain the turning of swathes 
and the changes from wet to sunny weather bleach the straw 
and seriously injure the fodder. Should, however, the weather 
prove fine, the loose crop soon becomes fit to harvest. In stacking 
the loose corn there is always more waste than when tied, and 
the rick of loose corn will require to be carefully thrashed with 
sticks on the outside, or some corn will be taken by small birds ; 
whereas when the oats are tied the butts of the sheaves furnish 
an outside to the rick without loss. We also like the ricks made 
round, and if required to stand for a considerable time the ricks 
should be placed upon a stand, as rats and mice are both especially 
fond of oats. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour is now most important, particularly when it is a 
common practice to turn the horses out to grass during the first 
few days of the harvest month, and set the teamsmen to work in 
the harvest field. We, however, have always demurred to this 
plan, believing that the labour of horses is too valuable to be 
thus thrown away. We usually have ploughing and sowing 
turnips for them to do after peas, winter oats, early white oats, 
or wheat. In case we do not sow stubble turnips we always take 
care to keep the horses at work in fallow-ploughing or scarifying, 
whichever may be best, often between the shocks of corn, other- 
wise after the corn is cleared. We hold the working of horses 
continually to be sound practice, for it must be admitted by any 
person with experience that horses to be in good health and equal 
to their work when called on at all times should be fed well and 
worked with regularity. We must also bear in mind that horse 
labour upon the land is valuable in proportion as the weather is 
favourable and the land dry. Some horses, too, will be required 
in working the reaping and mowing machines, and this is severe 
work even for powerful and active animals. It is advisable, 
therefore, to haye this work done by relays of horses, so that the 
reaping should be done without any hindrance; and by taking 
fresh horses every four hours the animals will not be overworked 
nor the reaping retarded. As soon as the stacking or housing of 
corn commences one of the horses will be required to work the 
gear of the elevator in making the ricks, whether of wheat or 
sheaved oats, or of loose corn, such as peas, oats, or barley. 
When the cultivation of a farm is of a mixed character the 
horses are enabled in autumn to till all the land required for 
early root crops, such as potatoes, mangold, carrots, &e., without 
the aid of steam power. Upon this system of tillage we are 
nearly always busy with our horses without being subject to 
heavy pressure of horse labour, which often occurs upon farms 
tilled or sown upon the four-course rotation, and it often happens 
that extraordinary pressure takes place twice a year—viz., pre- 
paring for wheat out of lea and preparing for turnips after a 
winter fallow ; whilst at other times of the year the horses are 
comparatively idle, or employed in some unimportant work. In 
many cases the question of supplementary animal power is a 
matter worth more consideration than it usually obtains, particu- 
larly since the introduction of steam culture, and which is not 
always available for the home farm, even by hiring. We allude 
We will not here, however, 
enlarge upon this matter, preferring’at a future time to take up 
the subject for a special article. In securing corn we do not 
advocate its being housed in the barns, except such portions of 
the crop as may be required for thrashing immediately after 
harvest, because the damage by such vermin as rats and mice 
is often very serious when corn is kept in the barns during the 
winter months. i 
Hand Labour will now be required for tying the corn behind the 
reaping machine, at least upon those farms where the combined 
reaping and binding machine is not yet in use, and also hand 
lahour will be required in assisting to stack the corn. In most 
cases, however, the elevator is now used on the home farm, and 
the labourers ought certainly to appreciate its use, taking off the 
men, as it does, the severest manual labour which they can be 
