Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-03-09

generally from without, Whlle the
other secures a lodging place under
the hull Of the healthy kernels. Oats
affected by the one are left with stalks
bare and the other operating unseen
within the husk: in many cases the
presence of the smut is undetected.
The process of treating seed oats is
not difficult or expensive, but requires
some time.
Make a solution composed of one
pint of 40 per cent of formaldehyde to
every thirty-ive gallons of water and
stir thoroughly. This mixture can be
placed in d barrel or tank. All that is
required is to place in the solution,
taking pains TO see that the oats are
completely submerged for ten or fifteen
minutes. Then remove the sack from
order to save the solution. Empty the
oats on a platform to dry and repeat
tuo piOC0SS uuGIl oil Is Grodu0u. IL
might be well to shovel the treated
oals over at intervals to permit of its
being thoroughly dried, otherwise e if
the oats are damp some difficulty may
De experienced in sowing with drill.
If sown when damp the seeder or drill
should be set so that it will sow about
one bushel more per acre than when
sowing dry oats.
A solution made from one pint of
the formaidehyde will serve for treat
ing forty bushels. Of course if large
quantity of seed oats is to be treated,
several barrels should be used, thus
facilitating the work. 1t is well to
| nave plenty of the solution as the time
saved more than repays the extra ex-
ira expense.
We will suppose you figure on SOW
ing one hundred acres to oats, let Us
see how mucn in dollars and cents
you would have been ahead had you
expended few dollars and taken the
time to treat your seed oats.
Acreage to be sown. 100 acres
Oats required ... 200 bus
Average yield per acre, ..... 35 bus.
Making total yield 3, 800 bus.
Loss amount smut, 15 per
cent -. ......... ....52o bus.
525 bushels oats at an av-
erage price OF SOC -. -. $1S3.75
The cost of treating seed oats fig
ures about one cent per bushel hence
it will be readily seen what loss a
farmer sustains through his negligence
Seeds.
In no feature of farm practice is
niggardly economy or lack of proper
attention more productive of disap
pointment and loss than in the failure
to provide proper seed for sowing. 1t
is universally recognized by agricul-
turists that the use of the poor seed
causes loss of millions of dollars an
nually either directly or indirectly to
the American farmer.
On the other hand, nc department
of farm work yields more beneficial
results than the careful and intelligent
selection of good seed is as essential
to continued success in agriculture as
good soil or careful cultivation.
The term ''good seed' implies three
things:
Purity-freedom from foreign mat
ter, as dirt, dust, weed-seed. chaff,
etc.
Vitality-capacity for growing un-
der favorable conditions; that is ma
tnre seed capable of terminating.
-trueness to type,
which depends upon age, size, weight
and smell.
A seed is said to have .svital' power
| when it can pass through that phase
of growth called termination. AS a
rule. seed more than one year old is
! less likely to germinate than fresh
seed. The loss of vitality if gradual,
though moro rapid in unripe seed
than in well ripened seed, then, too,
the larger and heavier seeds die more
slowly than the smaller and lighter
ones.
Boys Wild Ride for Life,
! With family arOund aYnnctinD him To