The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-02-06
Sowing Oats.

The writer could never get up any enthusiasm over the sowing of spring oats." that is, of oats sown after Christ mh& According to my experience and experiments 1t Is far more profitable ko SOW oats in the fall throughout the southern and central portions of the Gulf States and even higher up in these States than where fall oats are nsual1y sown. This is true even after making a deduction of every third crop assumed to be completely winter killed although in fact a complete winter killing of fall sown oats does not oc- eur so often as one year in three in Central Alabama. The present winter has been rather severe, but the Red Rust Proof and Turf oats have not been killed on the Station farm at Au- burn, though the thermometer has dropped as low as II degrees above nero. Of the several varieties grown only Burt, which is distinctly spring oat has succumbed.
 But on rich land and with favorable seasons oats sown in January or Febru- ary sometimes make profitable crops. This year there is special reason for sowing more oats in February than usual because of the need to utilize a part of the land that must be thrown out of cotton if a crop of fair-priced cotton is to be grown. One of the chief advantages of an oat crop is the fact that 1t gives opportunity for the increasing of next years main crops by the growth of cowpeas after the oats are harvested.
 Tn sowing spring oats the following well known points need to be re-en- phasiEed:
 First--Sow as early in February as possible, if sowing has not already been done.
 second---Leave the land smoother than would be imperative with fall sown oats, for the reason that spring oats are usually short and hence difficult to harvest on rough or rocky soil.
 Third---oats need chiefly nitrogen. which besides increasing the yield of grain. lengthens the straw. facilitating harvesting.
 Fourth--Only Southern varieties. as Red Rust Proof, Appler and Burt, should be sown. and the seed should be of unuuestioned purity.
 Fifth--As good Red Rust Proof seed oats are grown in Alabama, Mississippi ana Georgia. as in Texas. Seed oats from Texas may be a means of intro ducing the boil weevil. and hence quarantine has recently been put in force against Texas-grown oats. If one must have Western seed they should come from Oklahoma. Indian Territory. Kansas or other localities north of the Texas boil weevil district. The dan ger of the introduction of the boil wee vii in Texas oats Is believed to be greater now than a year or two ago, since the northeastern part of Texas, the oat-growing region has only re- gently been invaded by the boil weevil. Hence 1t is not safe to say that be- cause oats have not heretofore intro- auced weevils, therefore they will not in future.
 The above emphasizes the need for growing at least enough oats of a pure variety adapted to the South to serve for seed purposes next fall and for sale as seed oats to ones less provi- lent neighbors.
 As a general fertilizer for oats. made np of the materials most easily obtain able, I suggest for application at time bf planting a mixture of one-third acid phosphate and two-thirds cotton seed meal Where easily obtainable, I pre- fer to use nitrate of soda (50 to 100 pounds per acre) instead of the cotton seed meal, applying the phosphate at DlAnting and the nitrate in March.
 J. F. D.