The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1883-03-07
4CLODHOPPER."
Oats-CiOvsr and Timothy-Sesd
Corn.

gUlUs
Editor NEWS Oats is not lead
ing crop in this latitude, and yet
every farmer will find it greatly to
his advantage to have 4 few acres
each year
Oats seldom do well on sod, unless
the land has been plowed over win.
ter. To break piece Of sod now
and SOW in oats, remunerative crop
could hardly be expected, without
putting more work on the land than
an oats crop would justify.
Oats are generally sown in corn
stubble, and it is all the better if the
land is only stirred lightly with a two
horse cultivator. If you have drill
adapted to sowing oats, it will be
best to harrow and roll until the
ground is fine and we'll packed, then
drill; but when sown broadcast,
would put the seed in the ground be-
fore going over it with a cultivator,
then harrow and roll until all the
clods are crushed, and the land made
fine and mellow, but well packed.
By sowing clover after the harrow
and then running the roller over the
land, you are nearly always sure Of a
fine stand Of clover, and ordinarily
of timothy, unless the oats should
grow SO rank as to lodge, in which
case the timothy would most likely
perish. Oats should always be sown
very early, just as soon as the land
will do to work, and a severe freeze
or two subsequently will have an unto
ward effect on the crop, but seems to
be rather beneficial than otherwise.
Oats put in as above indicated by
the 10th of March ought always, on
good strong limestone land, to make
an average yield Of fifty to sixty
bushels per acre.
In concluding the subject of oats
culture, let me repeatthat to plow
or 10 inches deep with a breaking
plow along about the forepart Of
April, then SOW broad cast, leaving
the land cloddy and loose, a fair
crop can only be expected when the
season is of the most favorable char
acter possible, and should a "dry
spell" come in May, the crop would
hardly be worth harvesting, and yet
this is the way nearly everybody
puts in an oats crop.
It will be in order at this time for
every careful farmer to examine and
test his seed corn.
Corn was very late in maturing
asst year, and the winter found it full
of sap, consequently the germ oi
much of it was destroyed by the Sc
we're cold of the present winter.
Seed corn, in this latitude, should
always be gathered early and sufi-
ciently cured before any severe
weather comes, to be stored beyond
the reach of cold, in the cellar, in
the closet, in the kitchen or parIor
anywhere where frost cannot reach
ii.
The matter Of having reliable seed
corn is too serious to daily withJ anc
how many farmers can say this spring
that they have corn that will all
grow7
According to our observation and
experience the finty varieties o.
white corn will be much more likely
to withstand the cold than the gourd,
seed varieties of yellow corn.
A popular notion holds that the
yellow varieties Of corn are stronger
and richer in the hydrocarbons thar
the white varieties, but the notion i.
not sustained by chemistry, nor by
actual experiment.
The most convenient method o.
testing seeds, corn included, is to fill
a small box with fine earth, mplster
and warm up properly, then place il
by the kitchen stove, where the TEN
, peratVre is about right. Under such
circumstances all healthy seeds will
in the course Of few days, begin tc
show signs of growth. You will
plant the seeds intended to be tested
in the box, of course.
New Vienna, Feb. 28, SO,