Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-01-11

| determine largely the time of plant
ing. We want TO get the oats well
+, started: but we do not want too large
a growth before real cold weather
(: sets in: for If they have begun TO run
| M. they are more liable to be killed
back badly. On the other hand. il
the cold comes before they are firmly
established. the freezing and thawing
is likely to throw the plants out of the
ground. especially on clay land. for
such land expands and contracts very
much more than loamy or sandy soil
under the action of cold and moisture.
| The Georgia Experiment Station has
/ adopted a system of drilling their oat
secl in the bottom of small burrows.
which places the bud of the oats below
| the general surface, thus making the
soil give 1t a partial protection. But
their method of planting only two rows
ut Il time is rather laborious. and until
some better tool has been found for
! putting in the seed than the drill they
use. the practice will not be generally
! adopted. If the oats are planted ut the
! right time the danger from winter KILL
! irg is not great. and only in 4 very
exceptionally cold time will your stand
! be destroyed. Also. if the winter graz
| ing or Turf Oats are sown instead OF
! the Rust Proof, the chances Of success
| will be still greater; while il your OBJ
| iect is hay. these Turf Oats are de-
/ cidcdly preferable. rs the straw is more
tender ami stock eat it up clean. where
| they leave Il large part of the stiff
| kustProof straw.
| We had one exceptionally fine acre
CT these TART Oats last spring. from
which we gathered ten hig two-horse
| wagon loads OF excellent hay. The
/ cas- stood from four To six feet high
: all over the field. and were cut just
as Inc top grains began TO reach the
dough state. and while the straw was
green. We have been feeding our
! nine head OF horses and mules on this
! hay ail summer. with the addition of
1 small feed Of corn once day. and
they have Kept In fine condition, doing
heavy work all the time.
The land eli which these best oats
Were grown was Il stiff clay loam. and
hal been manfred the year before:
! the land was in tomatoes ut the time
we broke it up for oats. Where land
! has heen we'll broken in the spring
We do not USUALLY rebreak for oats;
/ but in this ease we had had some very
hard rains. and the land had run to-
/ geiher AMI become hard. making its
| physical condition so poor that Il re-
| blowing seemed necessary. 1t was
rather dry 1T the time. and the land
! broke up lumpy. necessitating consid-
cradle work TO make it fine; but We
/ worked it down. replowed. and worked
1t down again before sowing two BUSH
els of seed TO the acre.
Ii land is broken deeply for any win
| ter grain crop. great care must be
taken to work Ii down until the seed
bed is fine and firm. otherwise the
grain roots cannot set Il good hold and
/ vii! be more liable TO suffer from the
cold The unusual success of this acre
Of oats was undoubtedly due TO the
extra work put on the seed bed. for
We had other oats on equally good
| land planted at the same time whose
yield was not much over half as large.
Oats are strong feeders and very
large users of potash and nitrogen: the
| analysis of oats in bloom about the
time they are cut for hay. show them
! to contain ammonia, 1.19 per cent;
! phosphoric acid. "a per cent. and
, potash. 2.54 per cent. If your land Is
strong and YOU have a good pea-vine
| stubble to sow your oats on. your soil
will probably contain 4 sufiiciency OF
ammonia: il it does not. 1t will be
/ shown by the oats themselves by their
, light green or yellowish appearance.
and this can be corrected in the spring
by an application of about 100 pounds
of nitrate of soda TO the acre. The
main thing to concern ourselves about
now Is the phosphoric acid and potash.
Now. If we wish to obtain the best
; results. the proportions of these in
gradients should vary according to
the texture of our soil: of course. no
iroa-clad rules can be laid down. but
general experience has shown us that
light. sandy soils are more deficient
In potash than red clay soils: would.
therefore. recommend for light soils
fertilizer Analysing ten per cent. phos
pho"ic acid. and ten per cent. potash.
made by combining 1000 pounds acid
phosphate with 400 pounds muriate of
potash TO make 4 ton: for heavy clay
soils fertilizer Analysing about twelve
Per cent. phosphoric acid and five per
cent. potash. made by combining 1900
pounds acid phosphate with 200 pounds
muriatc of potash. This fertilizer
applied ut the rate of 300 or 400 pounds
TO the acre should insure fine crop.
You can apply it broadcast after the
I oats are plowed or worked in, or bet
ter still, harrow it in about two weeks
before planting.-Professor +. ]. Mer-
riam, Battle Hill. Ga.