3 78 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[October, 
NORWAY OATS. 
Tlie experience of hundreds of reliable farmers during the 
past season more than sustains every claim heretofore made 
in favor of this grain. They have been thoroughly tested in 
sixteen different States, and the reports from all quarters are 
most enthusiastic. IVc shall give extracts from letters, with 
tlie full address of the writers, who can he referred to if any 
of the readers wish to do so. We are introducing an im¬ 
provement which lias genuine merit, and is of vast import¬ 
ance to the farming interests of the country, and we prefer 
to let tlie farmers themselves tell the story, as they have 
done in the following 
TESTIMONIALS. 
Under date of August 18th, 1S68, Gen. Thomas, Lieut.- 
Gov. of Vermont, says: “I have seen the Norway Oats, 
raised by D. W. Ramsdell, crowing in fields in this section, 
for the past three years, and I consider them far superior 
to any other oats in the country, for their great yield per 
acre, and excellent quality. The straw grows very strong, 
and they are not so liable to lodge as the other kinds.” 
R. II. Hyde, Esq., West Farlcc, President of Orange Co., 
Vt. Agricultural Society, Aug. 4th, ’68, says: “ Their ability 
to produce more than twice as many bushels to the acre, and 
their hardiness and thrifty growth, rendering them much 
less liable to be destroyed by storms or disease, are points 
■which no intelligent farmer can overlook. The question to 
be decided by farmers is not whether they can aflord to buy 
the seed, but rather, can they afford to continue to plow mid 
cultivate their land for 30 or 40 bushels to the acre, weigh¬ 
ing 30 lbs. or less to the bushel, when they can just as well 
raise 100 bushels, weighing 40 to 45 lbs. to the bushel on the 
same ground with the same labor? 
I can recommend them to farmers as being all that you 
claim for them, and am glad to know that you will be able 
to supply them to a larger extent the coming season than 
heretofore.” 
lion. Orange Comstock, of West Farlee, Vt., Aug. 17th, '08, 
says “ I have this day examined some Norway Oats grown 
by P. R. Robinson of this place. I have lived to see 77 years, 
and can truly say I never saw such a splendid specimen of 
oats before. The heads are from 12 to 18 inches long, the 
meat very large and floury. Mr. Ramsdell has my best wish¬ 
es for his success in an enterprise of great value to our 
farmers.” 
II. C. Pease, of Hartford, Vt., Aug. 1st, *68, says: “ Having 
grown from seed of the celebrated Norway Oats for the last 
three seasons, I am pleased to add with others testimony in 
favor of their merits. Their wonderful productiveness at 
once attracted my attention from the first, being the seed of 
one head, which gave one unusual large bundle. 
Satisfied of their superiority over all grain I ever saw, I 
purchased one peck of seed of Mr. I). W. Ramsdell, proprie¬ 
tor of Norway Oats, at the rate of $18 per bushel. Adding 
with this what I had raised, the following spring I sowed 13 
quarts upon ^ acre of corn ground, sown broadcast, and no 
manure. The result was highly satisfactory, giving me 42 
bushels of measured oats. Reducing this to our standard 
weight would give me 51 bushels from IS quarts. The whole 
field averaged five feet in height, and gave me heads sixteen 
inches long. I have this season a field of 14 acres which are 
now nearly ripe, and are certainly a sight to behold, having 
massive heads measuring 12 to 18 inches, and from S00 to 400 
kernels to the head. As a further test I have planted one 
ounce (630 grains), each grain one foot apart, and as a proof 
of their enormous growing and spreading qualities, they now 
stand as thick as a mat, completely covering the ground, 
and stalks larger than common rake teeth. Too much can¬ 
not be said in favor of so valuable an acquisition as the lie- 
markable Norway Oats." 
From Col. A. R. Lansing, of Janesville, Wis. “ Sirs:— In 
the month of May last, a friend of mine, by the name of D. 
B. Johnson, handed me a small handful of oats—just 100— 
which he said lie received from you, and that they were a 
new specimen of oats called Norway Oats, and, as he was 
going away from home and could not give them a trial, 
wished me to experiment with them. I have done so, and 
would be pleased to inform you of the result. I scattered 
them thinly on a small piece of well prepared ground. They 
came up quickly, and grew rapidly, and they flourished con¬ 
tinually to the day of harvest. They had no extra chance, 
except the privilege of growing in good Western soil—no 
disadvantage to them, perhaps—and under a Western sky. 
1 had no particular regard for them until by their own su¬ 
perior merits they commanded them. I now consider them 
a prodigy for an oat—at least prodigious—and my attach¬ 
ment for them now is so great that $100 could not purchase 
my liar vest from tlie 100 Norway Oats. Now fora statement: 
From the 100 oats sown there came.up 3,000 dark green stalks, 
which developed ripe oats. These straws with their heads 
at the time of harvesting stood from 6 to G'A feet in height. 
They resisted the winds and did not lodge, while my com¬ 
mon English oats were laid down badly. It is my opinion 
that these oats would average a yield of 2C0 grains per head. 
I think tills really a low estimate. You will now see tlie 
surprising, even monstrous, production to be nearly 300,000 
oats from 100 grains. By measurement I had 20 quarts. 
Weight, 27M D>s. Tlie 100 seeds were sown on 36 square feet 
of ground. This would give as tlie production of one acre 
over 759 bushels, although we could not reasonably expect 
a proportionate yield from so large a quantity of land. But 
I feel almost sure I could have grown one-lialf this quantity 
upon one acre of my ground this last season if I had had the 
seed. I would further state that these oats have a thin shell, 
and a large, floury meat, and that I consider them a much 
nicer grain in quality than any other oat of my acquaint¬ 
ance. I sincerely hope that you have had them long enough 
so you can furnish them in small quantities for our Western 
farmers. I will not part with one of mine. Will you please 
inform me how you sell these oats, and in what quantities. 
All who have seen mine will send j'ou orders.” 
Yours truly, A. R. LANSING. 
From Adam Rankin, proprietor or the Premium Farm of 
Monmouth Co., Monmouth, Ill. “I have not measured the 
ground yet that I sowed tlie Norway Oats on, but there is 
about one acre. I sowed them in March, when tlie ground 
was in fine order, but just after sowing there came a very 
hard rain and washed them out some, and I did not think 
they would be thick enough, but after they got well started 
they beat anything, growing and spreading, that I ever saw. 
They are thicker and larger than the Surprise Oats. What 
you sent me (1 )a bushels) covers tlie ground better than 2# 
bushels of the Surprise Oats. They are the darkest color of 
any oats I ever saw, and promise well now for a most won¬ 
derful yield.” 
From A. Caldwell, Osceola. Ill.: “ The Norway Oats have 
a wonderful growth and yield with me, and I heartily rec¬ 
ommend them to my brother farmers.” 
A. S. Meigs, Brooklyn, Iowa, writes: “Those Norway 
Oats beat anything I ever saw in tlie wav of oats, and I rec¬ 
ommend them to every fanner in tlie West. I harvested 22 
pounds from tlie 200 seed I had of you. They ripen as soon 
as tlie old kinds.” 
Hon. George W. Thorne, of Rahway, N. J„ says: “To in¬ 
crease the yield even a small per cent would be regarded as 
a great success, but to more than double the crop at once, 
as I believe we may do by using this seed, is an advantage 
which we cannot afford to overlook.” 
From Rev. M. P. Bell, Norman’s Kill, Albany Co., N. Y.: 
“Tlie growth of straw was about five feet, heads very long 
and full, yiild from one pint , three bushels. They ripen as 
early as iny common oats. 1 can recommend them to the 
farming world with confidence. Tlie man for whom I sent 
fora pint at the same time, sowed them side by side with 
common oats, which from tlie drouth did not grow over 
eighteen inches, while tlie Norways stood up four feet and 
headed out at a wonderful rate, and were the wonder of 
every man who saw them growing.” 
From C. B. Ballard, of White River. Vt.: “ 1 have grown 
eight acres of the Norway Oats the past season, and from a 
thorough experience with the various new oats that have 
been introduced, I can truthfully say, these are far superior 
to them all, and I would not grow any other.” 
From Clias. W. Treadwell, Exeter, N. H.: “ They have 
made an uncommon growth, considering the lateness of the 
planting. I have not yet thrashed them, but my neighbors 
set the yield at two bushels from tlie one pint sown. The 
seed had been in a dry place all winter, and I was afraid to 
sow them as thinly as you directed, and there missed it. 
I can recommend them highly, and am of tlie opinion that 
they would also be very profitable to cut green lor fodder.” 
From A. II. Powers, Providence. R. I.: “ It is but justice 
to yon as well as to the oats, to say that I did not give them 
a fair chance, for I sowed grass seed on the ground, which 
grew very fast and I had a good crop of hay after harvest¬ 
ing the oats. Still I am much pleased with tlie experiment, 
and my neighbors, when I tell them that I raised two bush¬ 
els and twenty-five quarts by measure, and over three bush¬ 
els by weight, all exclaim, ‘What! on that little piece of 
ground and from only a pint!’ Yes, sir, and I can show 
them to anyone that will take the pains to call and see. My 
oats are oats, too, and not chaff or seeds of any other kind, 
but real Norway Oats, just such as I bargained for, and I am 
satisfied. Farmers , what more do you want t 
From Win. Clark, North Troy, Vt.: “ In regard to those 
Norway Oats, I cannot say enough to their praise. They 
have gone far beyond my expectation. Although it was 
quite late when I sowed them, I think they are as forward 
as our common oats, that were sown some time before. I 
have not taken extra labor for tlie purpose of getting a 
great yield, and I find I have from only One oat twenty-five 
large, beautiful stalks, well filled with oats. I have made 
something oi' an estimate of the yield and find the average 
about 670 from each oat, which I think is far ahead of any¬ 
thing ever known.” 
From Joseph Griffin, Washington, Vt.: “When my Nor¬ 
way Oats got up about ten inches high, an ox broke into my 
field and ate them all down and pulled them almost all up. 
1 have no doubt Mr. Ox would endorse the Norways hearti¬ 
ly, for he appeared to take a great liking to them. 
I saved a few roots and transplanted them, and they are 
now well headed out and will average two hundred seeds 
to the head, and ten stalks from eacli oat, making 2,000 from 
a single oat. I selected the best head I could find among 
my common oats and counted the seeds, and found only 90. 
Of course, if the Norways had not been injured they would 
have done much better, lmt I am satisfied with my yield as 
it is, and think I can safely say that they are the best oats in 
the world. Every farmer who studies his own interest will 
want this seed, and no farmer would hesitate one moment 
to buy them at almost any price if he once saw them grow¬ 
ing.” 
From Wm. C. Irish, Grand Isle, Vt.: “The growth of 
those Norway Oats I received from you is much larger than 
the common oat. They are also much heavier, and yielded 
at the rate of two hundred bushels to one bushel of seed. 
They are a new species to me, and are as early as the com¬ 
mon oat. I think that they are much better than the com¬ 
mon oat, for the reason that they are some ten or twelve 
pounds heavier to tlie bushel. In my opinion they are far 
superior to the common oat. I am much pleased^with my 
crop of Norway Oats, and can truly recommend them to my 
brother fanners as the best I ever saw.” 
From I). S. Dutton, Saxton’s River, Vt.: “ On account of 
moving, I did not sow those Norway Oats until very late, 
and on poor ground at that, but notwithstanding this, they 
grew larger than anv oats I ever saw, and yielded ar the 
rate of eighty bushels to tlie acre. They varied from 12 to 
31 stalks to each oat. I can recommend them to farmers as 
the best field oat known.” 
TESTIMONIAL. 
We, the undersigned, having grown the Norway Oats, fur¬ 
nished by Mr. D. w. Iiamsdell, of Chelsea, and being fully 
satisfied of their great superiority over all other oats, both 
in quality and quantity of yield, most earnestly recommend 
their adoption by farmers everywhere, as a matter of per¬ 
sonal profit to the farmer, as well as a national benefit, 
Mr. Ramsdell’s untiring energy and perseverance, result¬ 
ing in so important and valuable an Improvement to the 
agricultural interest of the whole country, entitle him to 
our most hearty thanks. 
We can assure our brother farmers everywhere that Mr. 
Kamsdell’s enterprise Is worthy of their encouragement 
aud support. 
H. H. GOODALL, M. D., Greensboro’, Yt. 
SAMUEL HILL, 
A. IX ROLLINS, “ “ 
H. DANIELS, “ “ 
F. CALI) WELL, 
SAMUEL WINCHESTER, Stannard, “ 
ALBERT BATTEN, “ “ 
C. J. KINGSBURY, 
HARVEY KINGSBURY, “ 
RUSSEL GARFIELD, “ 
ROBERT ALSTON, 
Ex-Lieut.-Gov. BURNHAM MARTIN, Chelsea, Vt. 
J. B. BACON, Chelsea, Vt. 
li. HYDE, Pres. Orange Co. Agricultural Society. 
AARON DAVIS, Truas. Orange Co. Agricultural Society. 
F. C. JONES, President Eovalton Nat. Bank. 
JAMES HOUGHTON, Cashier Orange Co. Bank. 
L. G. IIIN'KLEY, Countv Clerk, Chelsea, Vt. 
10. B. DENNISON, Washington, Vt. 
HENRY HULL, 
G. D. HULL. “ “ 
LORENZO HULL, 
W. SMITH. 
HENRY RENNO, “ “ 
CHESTER BIXBY, 
SAMUEL BLODGETT, Stannard, Vt. 
J. WILSON. Cabot, Vt. 
V. W. HALE, Member State Assembly, Vt. 
SAMUEL BEMIS, Marshfield, Vt 
ISAAC BEMIS. 
JOHN BOLTON, Cabot, Vt. 
Aud two hundred others. 
©pisaioias the Press, 
The New York Independent says:—“We have reason to 
accept and welcome the Norway Oats as a new and valuable 
addition to the grain resources of the country.” 
Moore's Rural New-Yorker says:—“This new variety is 
attracting much attention, and those fortunate enough to 
obtain the seed last year have gathered very large yields 
from it. We have received a package of heads, with stems 
attached, from Messrs. Jones & Clark. New York, and arc 
much pleased with t lie appearance of this grain. The heads 
are very long, and the berry is large, dark in color, and very 
heavy. 
The New England Farmer says:—“ They are a wonderAil 
grain, and no humbug.” 
The New York Tribune says:—“ They are being raised 
with success by many farmers.” 
The Boston Traveler says They are truly wonderful, 
and will not lodge.*’ 
The Farmer, Brattleboro, Vt., savs:—“ We know that many 
of the testimonials are from first class men.” 
CAUTION. 
The acknowledged superiority of the Norway Oats has in¬ 
duced speculators to advertise that they have them lor sale. 
All our grain sold last year in quantities of more than 1 pint, 
was under contract to furnish us with the product. Tliose 
who advertise White Norway Oats have not the genuine 
seed. We will send a full printed history of our gram to all 
who will send for it, showing tlie frauds that are being 
practiced ou the farming community. 
CARB TO THE PUBEIC. 
This is to certify that I have appointed Messrs. Jones <fc 
Clark, of New York, my sole agents for the sale of the 
Norway Oats, lor the season of 1808 and 1869. 
The necessity for a more central depot, as well as the ex¬ 
tensive correspondence attending the business, my own at¬ 
tention being devoted to the conducting of my farms, ren¬ 
dered this step necessary. Farmers desiring to procure tlie 
genuine Norway Oats, raised by me, should send their orders 
direct to them, as no other agents will be appointed. 
Aug. 1st, 1868. I*. W. RAMSDELL, Proprietor. 
©HIIEia AT ©NCE. 
Farmers are reminded that although we have compara¬ 
tively a large quantity of these oats for sale, it will not be 
possible for us to supply all. Last year we were compelled 
to return several thousand dollars, lor want of seed, and 
were offered as high ns fifty dollars for a single bushel. We 
have a large number of orders which were put on our books 
as early as June last, from parties who were determined to 
be in season this year. It will not do to wait; if you wish 
to make sure, order at once, for the stock will all be sold 
long before spring. We shall fill all orders In the order of 
their receipt, oil the plan of “ first come first served.” 
HOW TO OBTAIN THE NORWAY OATS. 
Having accepted the agency of the Norway Oats, we shall 
furnish them on the following terms: 
One quart, prepaid, by post.$ 1.25 
Two quarts, “ “ . 2.00 
One peck, per express, freight payable on delivery_ 4.00 
One half-bushel, “ “ “ _ 6.00 
One bushel, “ “ “ “ _ 10.00 
Two and one-half bushel bags. 25.00 
When one bushel or more is ordered, they will be shipped 
by freight line when desired. Remittances should he in 
checks, drafts, post office orders, or if in money, by express 
or registered letters. In ordering, give your r. O. address, 
also state nearest express office, if to be sent bv express. If 
required, we will send C. O. D., but we prefer that all orders 
should be accompanied with the money. As to our respon- 
ability, we refer to the following well known parties: 
Messrs. Harper & Brothers, New York 
“ C. A. Stevens & Co., “ 
Washington Hadley, Esq., Cooper Institute, New York. 
Messrs. G. Collamore & Co., 731 Broadway, 
Write our address plainly on the envelope, and al¬ 
ways put our box number on, as well as our place of busi¬ 
ness, as follows: 
JONES & CLARK, 
P. O. Box 5,689. SO Liiberty-st., New York. 
