1911 . 
TTHtC rcUKA.I> NEW-YORKER 
231 
AN OREGON OAT CROP. 
On page 90 I noticed a picture of a 
Hudson Valley oat crop grown with 
fertilizer. It is good, but I believe the 
one I am inclosing (see below) beats it 
some, and without commercial fertilizer 
too. This field of oats we finished put¬ 
ting in April 17, 1909, and had it in the 
shock in less than 120 days. This was 
done on our farm here, that people told 
my father he would “starve to death” 
on, as two men had done before him, 
and also in one of the driest seasons 
that we had had for years. Of course 
we used a 16-inch plow, and plowed 
more than five inches deep by a good 
deal; sowed two bushels per acre broad¬ 
cast, and harrowed it in both ways. The 
heads were 12 inches or longer, two and 
three grains to the spike, and weighed 
46 pounds struck measure. Thirty 
years ago the best my father could do 
was buckwheat six inches high. I credit 
the change to his grit and observation, 
rotation of crops, and keeping enough 
stock, or more than enough, to manu¬ 
facture the crops grown into high-priced 
selling products that take from the place 
very little fertilizer value. 
This oat is one introduced by my 
father about 10 years ago, and has been 
named Hays’ Favorite by the neighbors. 
One day when he was passing along a 
field of Winter wheat he noticed three 
heads of oats, from one seed, standing 
“head and shoulders” above the wheat, 
with long, heavy, compact heads, formed 
all around the stalk. Of course he 
marked the heads for saving, and the 
result is that I believe I can safely say 
it has added thousands of dollars to 
the bank accounts of the farmers of the 
neighborhood in increased crops. And 
besides this, he has developed his special 
strain of other vegetables and grains es¬ 
pecially adapted to our local conditions. 
If more farmers would pay more atten¬ 
tion to what they plant and in the selec¬ 
tion of their seed they would find that 
the great crop-producing seeds adver¬ 
tized by seedsmen would be no better 
than their own. But whatever you do, 
don’t forget to get a few more head of 
stock to eat up the increase in yield 
you expect to have, and then bv buying 
plenty of feed for them until you get 
your increased yield you will hurry 
things along and be sure to succeed. 
CHAS. H. HAYS. 
Washington Co., Ore. . 
Fertilizer and Rock Phosphate. 
T. F. K. t Carmel, N. Y .—I have a lot 
that I wish to seed down this Spring in 
oats, or wait until August and seed down 
with grass alone. Which is the better way, 
and how much fertilizer per acre do I need 
to use, and what kind? Is phosphoric acid 
like nitrate of soda? Can it be sown with 
the hand with no disagreeable smell from' 
it? Potash I have seen. Are phosphoric 
acid and South Carolina rock the same? 
Ans. —For a permanent meadow we 
should sow the grass seed alone in Sep¬ 
tember. Such a seeding will usually be 
thicker and more permanent. You can 
use at least 600 pounds per acre of one 
of the ready-mixed “top-dressers” or of 
a mixture of 100 pounds nitrate of soda, 
100 fine bone, 200 acid phosphate and 
100 muriate of potash. This will make 
grass grow, but it is expensive and 
probably would not pay with hay under 
$15 per ton. Acid phosphate is a brown 
substance with a peculiar smell, while 
nitrate of soda looks much like salt. 
What is known as phosphate rock is a 
substance mined in parts of the South. 
It is a soft rock containing 25 per cent 
or more of phosphoric acid. This phos¬ 
phate rock is ground fine. When it is 
in this form it is known as “floats.” In 
this the phosphoric acid is not easily 
available to plants. In order to make it 
quickly available the “floats” is mixed 
with strong sulphuric acid, the result 
being what is known as acid phosphate. 
Some samples of this contain so much 
acid that they burn or sting the hands. 
Mixing a Compost Heap. 
8., Hudson Valley, N. Y .—I am making 
a compost heap of muck, about 40 or 50 
two-horse wagon loads, this to be mixed 
witu alternate layers of muck *and fresh 
burnt lime (75 bushels), air-slaked before 
using. There will be used in the heap 
about 10 barrels of wood ashes. I have 
ordered 500 pounds muriate of potash and 
1,000 pounds ground bone. How much, if 
any, of the bone and potash should be 
mixed with the above, or could it all be 
used? What would it be worth compared 
with ordinary stable manure? 
Ans. —We should use all the bone, 
potash and ashes, thoroughly scattered 
through the pile as made up. Scatter 
the lime on the muck. It might be well 
to cover the heap when made with a 
four-inch layer of soil and let it thor¬ 
oughly ferment. About April or May 
let it be well forked over. “Muck” 
varies greatly in composition, but if this 
is of ordinary quality the mixture by 
early Summer ought to be worth 25 per 
cent more than ordinary stable manure. 
Metal Roof as Lightning Conductor. 
Q. li. 8., Elkins, W. Va .—In the January 
21 issue there is an article about metal 
roof and lightning. My house is covered 
with metal shingles, and there is a water 
conductor on two sides or corners. They 
enter into drain tile a few inches under 
ground. Is this a good connection with 
the ground, or should there be some of 
those metal strips used? In regard to those 
strips, should they be nailed to the sides 
of the house without any insulation? 
Ans. —The conductor pipes leading 
into drain tile laid a few inches only 
below the surface are not a satisfactory 
termination for a lightning conductor, 
for the reason that the ground is certain 
to be too dry, except at the time or im¬ 
mediately after heavy rain. The destruc¬ 
tive effect of lightning, which is usually 
associated with showers, is liable to oc¬ 
cur before the rain, or before the ground 
has been sufficiently moistened to make 
it the best conductor. The metal strips, 
used as lightning conductors, may be 
nailed directly to the side of the build¬ 
ing. There is no need of insulation. 
F. H. KING. 
Lady (to professor who has spoken 
learnedly of the Atlantosaurus, Ichthy¬ 
osaurus, Iguanodon, etc.) : “How in¬ 
teresting! Flow very interesting! But 
do you think we can be really quite 
sure they were called by those strange 
names ?”—Punch. 
Waiter: “What will you have sir?” 
Customer (looking over the restaurant 
bill of fare) : “Permit me to cogitate. 
In the correlation of forces it is a recog¬ 
nized property of atomic fragments, 
whatever their ages, to join, and-” 
Waiter (shouts across the hall) : Hash 
for one!”—Tit-Bits. 
A FIELD OF OREGON OATS. 
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