Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1900-02-16
FARMER AND PLANTER
PLANTING OF SPRI NC OATS.
A Few Suggestions to Those Who
Depend Upon the spring Instead
OF che FAN Crop.

To those farmers who will have to
depend on spring crop, instead OF
fall, or winter crop, it might be we'll
to make a few suggestions on oats
planted at that time.
The ground should be broken up
deep with two-horse pillow, and, if il
was broken in the fall, so much the
better. About the first of March SOW
some rapid-growing variety, such as
the Burt oat, on the rough broken
land, and cover them up with spring
tooth harrow, then follow with Thorn,
as smoothing harrow SO as to thoc,
oughly pulverize, and level off the land
so that the moving machine can do us
work effectually. If the land is stiff
SOIL and inclined to be cloddy then it
would he well 90 run a plank lrag or
roller after the spring-tooth harrow.
The drag is preferred, as it mashes
the clods instead of pressing them into
the ground. Then the smoothing har-
row should follow the drag, as the
light scratching will prevent baking,
which is liable to occur with the high
winds of March, to say nothing of the
hot, sunny days we often have in that
month. OF course, if seed drill is
used, the smoothing harrow is not nee
essary. If stable manure is to be APP
piled it should be broadcasted Just be-
fore the disc harrow is used as this
implement will cover ii deep enough.
If commercial fertilizer is used it is
best to apply with the drill, as many
of the grain drills have the fertilizer
attachment. If applied by hand then
the application should precede the use
of smoothing harrow.
We usually SOW about two bushels
of oats per acre, and cut before they
are mature so that we may get the use
of the stalks for hay as well as the
grain. Commercial fertilizers are al
ways used, as it is hard to get enough
manure to cover so much ground, and
it is far less expensive where both
have to be bought
For oats Iwculd recommend the fol-
the farmer has any barn yard manure
then it would be best to apply that
itself broadcast. l would say com
post of acid phosphate, 700 pounds;
cotton seed meal, 1000 pounds; Kainit,
800 pounds.
Most of our prepared fertilizers are
mixed for general crops, but more
nitrogen and potash are necessary
than is generally given. Of the above
mixture, we apply about 400 pounds
per acre on reasonably good land. 1t
is best to fcrtilize even if your land is
rich, as it will mature the crop quick
er, and this point would be especially
beneficial in spring oats, as they have
not the time to get well rooted and
feed deeper in the soil as do fall and
winter oats. This is important with
us, as we usually have a drought in
May just before the time for the oats
to mature, and if they are well-grown
when the drought comes on, they can
then be harvested in the dry spell and
the work can be better performed. II
the drought strikes the crop before
it natures it may be cut off enough to
pay for the fertilizer that should have
been used. Then, again, the crop may
not be far advanced and struggles on
through the drought until the June
rains set in, then there will be a loss
from being harvested in a wet season.
So / would advise the use of fer
filters to advance the crop as well as
increasing the quantity.-B. Irby,
Professor of Agriculture, n. c. Ayr.
College.