RAAB AACR S 
CULTURAL METHODS 
From Farmers Bulletin No. 1941 
U. S. Department of Agriculture 
Seedbed and Seeding 
Oats respond well to good cultural methods. The most 
desirable seedbed for oats is one that is firm beneath, with a 
few inches of loose, friable soil on top. It should contain 
sufficient moisture to insure prompt germination and satis- 
factory early growth. In most sections of the Corn Belt, 
where oats usually follow corn, it is as a rule excellent prac- 
tice to disk the land before seeding, regardless of how the 
seed is to be sown. Drilling is preferable, although the end- 
gate seeder for sowing oats is still popular on many farms 
because less work is required, and frequently more timely 
seeding is possible. Drilling requires less seed, insures suffi- 
cient covering, and places the seed at a uniform depth in the 
soil. 
Rate of Seeding 
Usually 8 to 10 pecks to the acre is the best seeding rate. 
The rate may be reduced somewhat if the obtaining of a 
satisfactory stand of clover and grass with the oats as a nurse 
crop is a major objective. 
Early Seeding Usually Insures High Yields 
The yield and bushel weight of oats can be increased by 
sowing early. In cooperative experiments at the Iowa Agri- 
cultural Experiment Station, deferred sowing, after the 
optimum date, decreased yields approximately 1 bushel per 
acre for each day of delay. Early seeding always has been 
good insurance for the production of a satisfactory crop of 

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