Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1890-05-30
AGRICULTURAL NOTES.
EVERY DAY TOPICS CONSIDERED IN
A PRACTICAL MANNER.
Interesting and Instructive Items About
Oats, which Cereal stands Third in
Importance i'm the United states
Preparation of Market Poultry.


Oats is the cereal which stands third
In importance in the uited States, both !
as regards the number of acres cult |
waited and tho pumber Of bushels raised |
per acre. In many localities, and espo. |
cially in northern Pennsylvania. there !
is no doubt that it is the most profitable |
grain that is raised, unless it be buck |
wheat, which commands q good price |
because it encounters 10 western com |
petition. The five states of illinois |
Iowa. New York, Pennsylvania auC
Wisconsin produce SO per cenr. of the
whole crop. Illinois i the banner state
producing about 10y pcr cent cf the
whole Four Of the states and tsi1itoc
les, viz, Maine. Vermont. New Gorb
and Wyoming, raise moro oats than any
other cereal
Thee are three pretty well defined
classes Of cultivated oats. Inc most com.
mon varieties have the hus5a or hulls ad.
herent and these are divided into two
classes. in one Of which Gas an example
the potato oats the pauiclc which pro
duces the kernels branches from either
side of the stem. while on the other the
heads branch only on one side Of the stem
as for instance the Hungarian. There
gre also naked varieties in which the
kernels separate from the hulls and are
called Chinese oats, "skiuless oats" and
'hull-less oats"
Oats grow on all kinds Of soils, from
heavy clays TO light sands. and On moist
soils and dry soils. but are the most 1T
home and flourish the best in cooler
and moister climate than that which j.
best adapted to winter wheat. Eighty
per cent. of the crop in the United States
is raised at an altitude Of from 500 to
1900 feet above the level Of the sea.
More than one-half of the whole crop
grows where the mean annual tempera-
ture is between 10 and 80 dcgs., and
about five-sixths of the crop grows where
the January temperature is below the
freezing point. There are winter varie-
ties of oats, rs there are of wheat, rye
and barley. but these are not much cul-
tivated
Probably not per cent. Of the whole
crop produced is winter oats, all the rest
being sovn in the spring OF the year,
and very little OF ii harvested before tine
ISL or july, b Our-lllt4lS OF tnG crop Is
raised where the mean annual rainfall is
between 80 and 45 inches, and whore the
spring and summer rainfall is between
10 and 25 inches. The weight Of oats
varies in different localities, and in the
same locality in different seasons, all the
way from 20 to &c pounds per measured
bushel. In commercial transactions 80
pounds is considered bushel, and that
is also the legal weight in most of the
states
As a fodder for cattle on the farm. oat
straw is considered to be Of more value
than any other kind. II being softer and
having more leaves. cattle prefer il, and
If secured in good order and bright they
can be wintered on it without any hay
or grain. Oats produces a large quantity
of good fodder when cut and cured in
the green state, and is largely raised as "A
forage crop in the states south of Nir-
ginia and Kentucky and east OF Arkan-
sas, where it is more difficult to produce
large crops of hay from grass. 1t is also
prOyyn in +ha sO17th for nastl1re In