NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS FIELD STATION, 1913—1922 D3 
OATS 
Oats have been grown under the same general cultural conditions 
as spring wheat and have shown much the same r esponse. The yields 
of oats in both fields for the eight years from 1915 to 1922, inclusive, 
are given in Table 17. Fall plowing for oats has yielded less than either 
spring plowing or disked corn ground. The yield on summer fallow has 
been higher than that under any other method, but, as was shown in 
considering the results with spring wheat, summer fallowrequires twice 
the acreage of other methods. The yields on green manure have been 
about equal to those on disked corn eround | and less than those on 
fallow. The difference between the results on fallow and on green 
manure are largely due to differences in the time of plowing. Oats 
have been grown on alfalfa sod and on bromegrass sod, but the yields 
have been ‘uniformly low on both. In 1922 flax was substituted for 
the oats on sod. 
Under most methods, the yield on the heavier soil of the south 
field has been only slightly less than that on the lighter soil of the 
main field. In the case of the listed and subsoiled plats the yield has 
been shghtly larger than that in the main field. This increase has 
been due to run-off, which benefited these plats in the south field. 
Oats are a valuable feed crop for this section. They fit well into 
a rotation with corn and wheat. In such a rotation, the oats would 
be best placed on spring plowing after spring wheat. The crop is 
not valuable enough to demand such an expensive method as summer 
fallow. Both corn and potato ground furnish a good preparation for 
oats, but they are usually sown to spring w heat for which they are 
equally good. 
BARLEY 
Barley is another grain grown for feed. In bushels per acre the 
yield of barley is less than that of oats, but in pounds per acre the 
yields of the two are very close. Barley fits well into a rotation with 
corn and oats or corn and wheat. The yields of barley in the main 
and south fields for the eight years, 1915-1922, inclusive, are shown 
in Table 18. 
In the rotations barley is grown on disked corn ground and on 
disked flax stubble. The yield on disked flax stubble has been only 
slightly more than half the yield on disked corn ground. The yield 
follow ing spring plowing was less than that following fall plowing in 
the main field, but in the south field the yield followi ing spring plow- 
ing was slightly higher than that following fall plowing. The fall- 
plow ed plat j in the main field has received run-off which increased the 
yield. The yield on summer fallow averaged for the eight years 6.6 
bushels per acre more than on corn ground. As in the case of other 
crops, twice the number of plats is required to grow barley on fallow 
as on continuously cropped plats. The same number of plats was 
required to grow a crop of corn and one of barley as to grow barley 
on summer fallow. The increase in the yield of barley on fallow 
was not enough to offset the greater cost of production. The. yield 
of barley on “subsoiled and on listed land was either less or ‘only 
slightly better than on spring or fall plowing. 
As was true with other crops, comparable “plats 3 yielded less in the 
south field than in the main one. In the south field in 1922 the 
listed plats were favored by run-off which increased their yields. 
