Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1869-03-31
for the farmer.
H.nerimenta in Growing Oats.

Among
three best are, the Surprise, Swedish and
New Brunswick The best variety of black
oats. is the Black New Brunswick All OF
these weigh from forty 10 forty five pounds
per bushel The Black New Brunswick
adapts itself to nearly all kinds of soil, and
will yield from sixty to eighty bushels to
the acre.
In the three white varieties there is but
little difference / place the Swedish hrst
as to quality and productiveness, strength OF
straw, and earliness of ripening
The Surprise is next, and the New Bruins
wick next. | believe this to be their reia-
tive standing, taking them on all kinds OF
soil The New Brunswick viii yield most
on mari or loamy soil; the Swedish will
do bes. on clay soil, and yield better than
any other variety, and the Surprise will sue
ceed best on alluvia, loamy and prairie soils,
and ripens earliest. The Swedish ripens
second. the New Brunswick third, aud the
Black New Brunswick fourth. The Rams
dell Norway ripens fifth, being both the
poorest in quality and quantity and last to
ripen on the farm. 1t yielded less per acre
than any other, and weighed only thirty
pounds per bushel, while the common side
oats weighed thirty six pounds and yielded
from thirty to forty lushels per acre. The
yield of the different varieties was as follows:
Swedish eighty five bushels per acre; Sur
prise eighty bushels per acre; New Bruins
wick seventy bushels; Black New Bruins
wick seventy bushels; Norway thirty five
bushels; common Black Poland forty BUSH
els; common White Oats forty bushels
One grain of Swedish produced 1900
grains; one grain of Surprise produced 1910
grains; one grain of New Brunswick pro-
duced ll90 grains; one grain Of Norway
produced 600 grains one grain of Black Po-
land produced 500 grains; one grain of COM
mon White Oats produced $50 grains; and
one grain of Rocky Mountain Oats produced
1900 grains from twelve stalks.
These different varieties were all weighed
and the grains counted, and planted on one
kind of soil, and received the same treatment.
the accuracy of the experiment was some
what interfered with by cattle breaking into
the field and destroying or damaging each
tried again this spring with a thousand grains
each, of twenty different varieties.
As far as the experiment was successful,
however, it is plainly seen that the Swedish,
Surprise and New Brunswick are the best
white varieties, and the Black New Bruins
wick the best Black Oats.
l have seen it stated that the Norway and
Surprise have yielded one hundred and fifty
bushels per acre, and the statements had
farmers names attached to them Some
have even gone so far as to assert that FIVE
hundred bushels could be raised from q SIN
gle acre. individuals making these state
ments must have learned some process un-
known to the rest of mankind, or their
bushels must be much smaller, and tkeir
acres much larger than those in common use.
We would advise those who feel discouraged
because they cannot approximate these fab
ulous figures not 10 despair They are in
no immediate danger of finding any person
who has seen any Of these wonderful yields.
Where there is one farmer who raises hun.
dred bushels of oats to an acre, weighing
thirty-two pounds to a bushel, there are
thousands who raise less than fifty.
1t is always the cheapest plan, though,
to buy the best seed that can be had, even
though the price is very high. And if pos
sible procure and SOW several varieties and
exercise your own Judgment as to which va
riety will best suit your locality and soil
There is the same diversity with oats as
there is in the case of wheat, and experience
alone, will determine which is best. At the
same time would not recommend to far
ners to indulge in fancy varieties at from
ten to twenty dollars per bushe, which pric-
es are often asked, and more than should be
paid. For the purpose Of experimenting,
have procured oats which cost me twenty
three dollars per bushe, and in small guam
titles some which were still more expen-
Rive.-Experimental Farm Journal.