Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-03-25
NOR WAY OATS.

Among the numerous tributes to
the merits of this variety, and the
most detailed and specific that has
passed under our notice is contained
in letter from George +. Smith, of
Washington, VT, and published i'll
the Weekly Tribune OF the l7th ult.
A previous statement of Mr.. Smiths,
that he had reaped 1876 bushels from
100 square rods, has been received
with some imcredulitv by some mem
bers OF the American Institute Farm
er's Club, and the letter was writ
ten to confirm the statement. When
the reader bears in mind that the
product above given is at the rate of
POI bushels per acre, it will readily
be admitted that it required the best
proof to verify it. Mr.. Smith says:
l have no desire to boast of the
Norway oats, for they will make their
own reputation but would like the
ear Of the candid, enterprising farm
er, whe has not yet embraced the idea
that all is now known that ever can
be concerning the production of GER
Gals and vegetables.
Now, then, | did grow and harvest
1875 bushels of Norway oats as above
stated. | first secured, after ccnsid.
cradle search, 100 rods of land most
entirely free from weeds. 1t was
broken (green swarO the spring be-
fore, a good dressing Ct new stable
manure being piowed in, and good
crop Of common oats taken from ii
that season ; plowed as soon as the
oats were harvested, with no addi-
tional manuring; plowed again the
spring following, and then eight loads
OF fine old manure were spread evenly
over it. Then l kept smart man
with a smart span Of horses harrow
ing nearly all Of one day, thoroughly
mixing the fine manure with the mel
low, and even pulverized soil.
Having but small quantity of the
seed, and as | had previously expert
mented with it and knew its DISPOSE
ton to send up numerous stalks from
single seed, l had it divided, the
drills being just one foot apart, and
six inches III the drill, using as near
one oat in a place as we could, cover
ing them about two inches deep.
After going over the piece We found
we had used less than one peek Of
seed-inst seven pounds by weight.
Nothing more was done to this field
Of Norways until he time OF harvest
ing. The grain was then secured
and threshcd, yielding 4,532 pounds
Of splendid oats; the truthfulness Of
which can be fully established by
sufficient and competent evidence.
have been experimenting with
oats for several years, and have
grown eight varieties of them, and
can positively state that there is a
great difference in the yielding or
producing qualities Of oats, subject
to the same conditions of soil and
treatment. | have been able to grow
with the best treatment from two or
three times as many pounds from the
Norway seed as from any other, and
those Of very excellent quality.
With much poorer treatment than |
gave my one hundred rods, which |
have told you about, there are sever
al Eastern and Western farmers who
have done almost as well with the
Norways. | am told by some farm
ers they have raised 100 bushels of
the common" oats to the acre, and
| find many who believe it.
Now | can cite You to 1000 or
more excellent, truthful farmers who
will tell you that you can grow twice
as many Norways TO the acre rs they
can Of any other variety ever raised
by them. Aud after my submitting
these oats, for several years, to test
of proof with my own experiment, |
am prepared to fully believe these
farmers. will also state, for the
benefit ofthose farmers who wish to
grow the Norway seed, that ! lave
several fields Of spurious Norway
(,he Irish and potato oats, } the seed
of which was purchased for the genu-
inc Norways, and the production and
quality were very much inferior to-,
and nothing like lhem.-Cor. Neao
York Tribune.