The Atlanta constitution., 1900-08-27
OAT CULTURE.

I have been sowing oats for period or
more than forty years. During that length
Of time I have had more or less COM
plete failures. owing mainly TO the ef-
fects Of severe freezing. on the average,
however. the failures have not been more
frequent nor the losses heavier than those
of the corn crop. For many years / did
not know how To- SOW oats so that they
would not be seriously affected by very
severe cold. Rust has not been n serious
danger for more than thirty years OF the
forty as secured seed from the once ia
nous Irwin county oat. that was never
known 10 be seriously injured by rust.
For the last ten years I have been sow
irg the Applcr oat. which was originated
hv a AIr. Appler. Of Harris county. Geor-
gia. 10y selecting the best heads from the
ORIGINAL Texas rest proof oat for quite
number Of years ! This variety IS some
what more prolific and little earlier
than the old Texas and quite as proof
against rust.
I have also learned from experience how
70 fertiIiz. oats and the further fact that
il IS a crop shat will bear high fertilizng
better than any summer crop. being equal
In this respect TO wheat. Any crop that
makes It's principal growth and comes TO
its maturity In midsummer or fall is lia-
hIa 90 injury from drouths that are apt
sometimes IN August. Both cotton and
,,-, nc we'll rs sweet potatoes. tobacco
aus et,-nr cane are SO liable and some
,f.-..- IN more or less complete fallure
from, ffis cause Not so with oats ana
vsca' n tho land be properly prepared
and r.~tuiz,l and sown with the rlshl
,-l,f4t, oF grain. Oats and wheat make
thei~ principal root growth during the
early erriug when the weather Is coot
ana moisture Is usually abundant IL Is
+, v-,r. occurrence for a we'll sown oat
crop to fail because Of dry weather.
t1,.-, Is q good season in the ground as
,.,t., as May iyt the crop IS practically as
surrd.
Ert che most important discovery In
cat culture thar has been made since
have known anything about the business
yas tho result OF investigations ana eN-
.,eritncnts covering several years maae Al
Ill.,. ceoraia Experiment station. The us
CpYery consists in
Sowing in Open burrows.
lot me here quote from bulletin No.
&. putlished in September. lNr;
.'put ID more important discovery j 'iiO
foot that when the seed are soWn III
..-.s, burrows and barely covered. leaving
-, @,,-.-,-,-- omen or untitled. the oat
,.f.-ts .~a very much less liable 20 be
I,,Ilod bv a severe freeze. The idea was
conceived several years ago. ana ahhu-
at-,- sine. we have sown the larger por-
ffor or the FAN sown area in drills eight
.sr, "a twenty four inches apart, iatteliN
,r-fnt- n Can't fertilizer distributor. rms
eavy- bur one row n n tyne has no COW
.-i~. attachment. but simply opens
--7aU furrow and soWs the seed. the SIN
aIa wheel following IN the furrow ana
barely covering the seed. The result Is
r,n plants come up one and half 70 tw"
iueh,- Below the general surface. ana the
crown n each nlaut Is formed and es-
taf.1feNc1 s~v two to two ard nalr
inches below the general surface. The
winter rains. light freezes and thaws
gradually hut only partly fll In the open
fl-row. and the more vital and sensitive
parts Il the plants are left At the origi-
raI depth. below the reach Of even very
severe freey.s.
''Th- long anticipated freeze at last
came and our theory was put 20 n crucial
Test. ON February s. 1N9 the thermome-
Ter sank 10 fifteen degrees. followed on
successive mornings hv - and II degrees.
on the 18th it Was down 10 II degrees.
ami on tine morning Of tho 18th II stood at
degrees below zcra-the cOldest day
E.nc. February s. 1885. The result was,
ftu soWu oats and January sown oats
were pretty generally destroyed every
where. hut our open furrow drilled oats,
utiuG two acres. stood the test re-
mari-fniy wei and though seriously in