Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-09-17
Oats and Cheat.

To the Editor Of the Dispatch:
have several times seen the statement
in your paper that oats never turn to
cheat, Let me state case that occurred
on the farm of Rev. A. Broaddus. near
this place.
In the fall Of 1891, he sowed oats on a
piece Of land that hal been previously
cultivated in tobacco one or two years.
The oats came up and the next spring
Gsg2) grew off we'll. But when the growth
headed out. there was not head Of oats
ia It-all was cheat. When July headed
this was cut of the land. Soon there put
up from the cheat stubble growth which
developed into a tate crop OF oats. con-
tanning no cheat. The land was then put
III corn for late table use, and In the fall
this crop was cut off, when there was found
a volunteer growth OF what seemed to be
oats. The next sprlDg, QS93), when this
was cut, it proved to be nothing but
cheat. Now, doesn't this seem to be a
case where the oats turned 10 cheat. then
the cheat 10 oats. and finally the oats to
cheat AGAIN. The closest examination es-
tablshed beyond all doubt that the oats
which were cut from the land put out
from the cheat stubblc itself
Sparta, Va. A. b. JR.
1t is against law Of nature for plants
Of one family to change to those of an
other. Our correspondent, therefore.
should rather interest himself in determ-
ming the reasons why cheat was
found where oats were expected, than
to make a positive statement of en- impos-
sible result.
IL must be taken into consideration that
there are about forty different kinds of
Bromus. OF which cheat or chess is one.
and that their seeds. being numerous. are
distributed throughout the soil of cultlya-
ted fields, where they lie dormant until
favorable opportunity occurs for them to
terminate. It Is the case also with the
seeds OF rag weed and many other weeds.
Our correspondent asserts that IN the
fall of 1891 oats were sOwn. and IN the
spring of 1892 they grew OF we'll. but head
ed out cheat. An Observant farmer would
have known early IN the spring. from the
character of the growth, that it was cheat,
not oats, and should have ploughed 1t
under, thus preventing fresh accession Of
cheat seed to his land. He says that there
was not head OF oats in il. Is he certain
of that? One who could not discern the
presence of cheat until it had headed out,
would scarcely have observed any oats;
but they were there. nevertheless. if. as
he saws. after the cheat was cut of,
growth of oats came up, developing into a
late crop of oats, containing no cheat.
Now, the explanation of all this, is. that
the oats were much injured by tho winter
weather, aud in consequence were weak
ened in their growth. then the great guam
titv of cheat seed in the land. having been
worked to the surface by the cultivation
of tobacco. started vigorously and out
grew the oats, so that when the cheat was
cut, the immature ost plants were also cut
before they had fully headed out, and on
removal of the cheat. they made second
growth and a late crop as stated. So much
for the first part of the mystery. Tho
field was then put in coru for late table
unteer growth of what seemed TO be oats.
but in the spring OF 1898 IL proved 70 DO
cheat" OF course the cheat seed that had
scattered out on the land at the first cut
ting. was thoroughly disseminated by
working the corn. and practised eye
would have seen in the fall that IL was
cheat aud not oats.
IL has been positively stated that orch
ard grass had turned to cheat this last |
spring. Cheat then has tho wonderful |
property to become interchangeable with |
wheat, oats and grass ad libitum. The |
whole subject has been discussed from |
time to time for more than fifty years and |
the possibility of these changes scientific
ally disproved.