Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1892-09-15
SOW OATS.
When the editor-man tells t

When the californian tells the
farmer-man to ''sow oats" the
farmer-man responds by telling
the editor-man he "knowd that
already" But all the same it is
advice that cannot be given too
often.
On this subject of sowing oats
that sterling old journal the
Southern Cultivator for the month
ofseptember gives some excellent
suggestion as to the time of sowing,
which we reproduce here:
By fall sowing we do not mean
sowing in November and Decem-
ber; that is winter sowing. This
will do very we'll in the extreme
southern part of the cotton
region-where a killing freeze is
the exception and not often ex-
pected. Oats may be sown IN
November and December as far
south as Albany and Thomasville,
Ga and corresponding latitudes in
adjacent States; but as we ascend
further north and higher above
sea level, the sowing must be
-earlier in order to succeed. we
have more than once suggested a
sort of general rule by which the
best time for sowing may be
approximately determined: 1t ls
this: The further south a locality
NAV be the earlier corn is planted
In Southern Georgia February is
the main corn planting month. In
upper Southwest Georgia and
Middle Georgia March is the corn
planting month. In North Georges
the bulk of the crop is planted IL
April. Now the rule suggested II
to SOW oats as long before January
1st as corn is planted after e. January
list. If corn is planted the secone
month in the year, or February
then oats should be sown the tentf
month or November; if corn il
usually planted in the third month
or March, then SOW oats in October
if corn is usually planted in the !e
fourth month of the year, or April
the oats may be sown in septem,,
ber. We believe that this rule vii
generally hold good, with SOM
local exceptions. In all cases
and particularly where the sowing
is early in the fall, the field ma!
be lightly grzed, if the crop grow S,
off luxuriantly before frost. Thi
grazing may be kept up at IN
tervals (never when the ground il
at all. wet) until the first o
February.
AS to the preparation of TIN
soil, the same jounal speaks as fol
lows:
Another point: We believe il
thorough preparation of the sol
by good pleming, liberal manurln!
and narrowing or plowing in well
Too often the seed oats are throw
broadcast on foul corn land an
roughly plowed in with turnin
l shoyels, or scooters, along wit
) green cotton seed, leaving tn
| surface rough and more or les
covered with projecting corn stalks
hillocks of grass, etc. Such uneve
surface may contribute to th
: protection of the plants that com
t up in the low places: bat those o
; the high places will be correspond
/, ingly exposed. The perfection {
sowing is attained by the use Z
the grain drill which leaves eac
row of oats slightly below the gel
eral surface.
We heard an essaylst at the Aa'
session of the State Agriculture
v Convention, at Griffin, confdentl
8 assert that it was not the cold thu
, killed the oats, directly, but tt
= heaving of the soil and the resul
{ ing tearing loose of the roots fro
t the firm subsoil. He thereto:
advocated covering the seed deep
q SO that the plants could establis
. o such a firm hold as could not |
. . SO easily broken. In this theo'
+ we think he was in error. o.
= - observation is that Tin the South
f oats are killed by the intensity
= = the cold, as rule, and not t
! mechanical displacement, or rul
o o ture of the roots. We hay
/ observed fields of oats ruined by
y freeze when there was no evident
|, of "spewing," or heaving of tt
= soil: in fact when the soil was
;. that light, frable character whic
is not favornble to such a resul