The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-02-16
AN ORACLE ON OATS.

AN ORACLE ON OATS.
Paper Read by Secretary J. q. Burrow
Before the Farmers Association.
We have from time to time had
under discussion the cultivation of
the various plants grown by the far
mer that we might elicit and bring
out the best methods Of growing the
various cultivated crops. To-day
oats comes in for our consideration
oats that stand head in the list Of
feeds for the horse, one that COM
bines both grain and forage-the
only plant that is both corn and
fodder-that contains all the ele-
ments that is needed in a perfect
feed. Nor do the combination of
any other feeds give as good result
as oats. 1t has passed into a pro
verb that when horse or even a
man is looking unusually well that
he is s'feeling his OATS An old
Scotch Irishman who worshipped at
the Shrine of the horse said to me
when / was mere boy: "Jlm, oats
are the horses' chicken pie" So /
have found it. If the horse is off
on everything else he will take oats
-oats is his condiment. / know
an Englishman who thinks nothing
of galloping his horse 10 miles. He
discards corn and feeds on oats
Our horses that are fed on corn
cannot 60 two miles without great
fatigue. Corn is too heating in its
properties. And oats are not good
for horse alone, but equally good
for all species of live stock and
poultry. The value of oats is con-
coded by all.
Why not more generally cultiva
ted2 Only few men make oats a
paying crop. One of our best far
mers only a few weeks ago stood up
in this Association and said he
could not make oats paying crop.
I have heard many of our best far
mers say that they would never SOW
oats but for their superiority to any
other crop with which to get a
catch Of clover. 1t is considered by
many a matter of luck in raising
osts-sort of blue-dye luck. You
remember that in the olden times
it was firmly believed that only one
woman in hundred could dye blue
and that they were lucky indlvid-
uals. Our folks believe as firmly in
| luck in oats as the old woman did
in luck with the blue dye. Oats are
simply not understood. They are
sown ON the poorest land-land
that will bring nothing else, and
put in in paor way without regard
to the proper time. The re-
suit is almost a total failure and
the man says, 81 have no luck with
oats" when the real trouble is thai
"a fool and bad rule have met.
The rust caused oaps to be aban-
doned almost for many years, gu
SlUC6 tue lubIOouCblOA VI VAC loo
proof varieties there need be no los'
/. in that direction. Oats have stead
Il lily gained in favor aa1 when prop
Q erly understood no crop will be nor
appreciated.
I eonmeaeed the cultivation q
! Years 400 an = luck and 80 laek TO
many years attended H. euofts-'
sometimes an entire failure and theI
an immense crop. Once / hat
turned a piece of land for cotton il
'69. Help was scarce and high ant
l sowed this piece of land to oat
early, blowing in with bulltongues
The result was an immense crop
almost like ssCarter's oats" The
another year | sowed II acres I,
oats. / commenced in Febrnrar
? and had sown two acres when raj
set in, and it was after the middl
of March before the other 10 acre
: were sown. At harvest l found tina
I. the two acres sown early were wort
o more than the 10 acres sown a fe'
weeks later.
t combined these two experiment
! and / now turn my ground early i
! the fall and the first day in Februs
I ~ that will do l SOW my oats.
SOW two bushels to the acre an
II harrow in with a large harrow. go
g ing over the ground about twice g
: as to cover all the seed and leav
d the earth in fine fix for clover an
r grass seed. This I consider th
r best method where the ground
!. we'll turned aud loose and bel
scarce, but l am inclii1ed to thin
= that good or better results will com
: from blowing with double shovel o
If land turned in the fall where it
n too steep to harrow successful,
If NY best results have been frol
81 clover sod turned in the fall, BIT
n nearly as good from corn land q
I. turned. Land that will make eigf
Of barrels Of corn will make so bushe
r. of oats. Poor land that will NJ
~ bring 10 bushels of corn if so turn
- ed and the oats sown early will o.
,e ten make good yield.
in Variety of oats has much to q
N with the yield. l have sown an
n seen growa almost every variet
VI VI The Texas rust proof is one of tt
70 finest oats grown. They are hea'
\ and on fine land make a big yiel
lie have seen 60 bushels grown, b,
e. they must have good land. The
CT lodge and fall badly, often near
ut all falling down. Then the welcoa
ne oat grows tall, often six feet, ar
ct makes big yield, yet their dispos
al ton to strawfall condemns ther
otherwise they are very fine. tt
IL red rust proof is fine oat but IT
quires a very rich soil to grow ia
n, enough to cut. The VIII tie oat rus
IN so badly and is SO late that it hi
~ been discarded in this locality.
IN The Burt ost vas introduce
about 10 years ago into Terness'
by Col, Tom Crutchfeld from Sout
90 Georgia, where it originated and
SO very popular. 1t bss many GOO
20 points, chief among which is i
earliness, it's freedom from rust, i
immense yield and its superiori
ID of straw. Col. Crutchfeld CLAIM
to they ripen three weeks earlier ths
the red rust proof which is an in
ne ne mense benefit where the farmer
ut short of feed, and who is not th
year2 In my observation they a
d, entirely free from rast, never havir
- | -. Iora of rrot nm 4l,ie yari,