Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-02-13


as we have them in our experiment
station plots at the Iowa state college
The EARLY Champion Oats.
An oat which is very generally
grown throughout the state of Iowa is
the Early Champion. This oat is I'M
questionable one of the lowest yield
ing oats WI ch we are growing. 1t
can hardly be expected that the same
varieties of oats are best adapted to
all localities, for such is not the case
We find, however, that the Silver
Mine oat does give very general sat
isfaction, together with the Wiscon-
sin No. 4, or Swedish Select. The
highest yielding oat at the Iowa Elk
pertinent station for the past five
years has been the EMERSON, an early
oat and a good yielder. lG is well
that we pay special attention to the
improving of our corn, and well we
must, but right in connection with the
good work which is being done in the
way of corn selection we must not for
get the fact that the small grain pro-
position is indeed very large one,
and 1t is time that we were beginning
to give special attention to the differ
ent varieties of small grain that are
adapted to the different localities in
| the state
Iowa Dat crop Very Light.
The second point is Of special i'm
portance as it can be hardly expected
that any special variety of oats will be
secured for the planting of all fields
this coming season. The question
comes: What can be done with the
oats that we have, to help very ma
terially in increasing the yield of our
next crop2 l think you will agree
with me that the oat crop throughout
the state of Iowa is indeed very light,
| both in bushels per acre and in weight
per bushel l believe that the aver
age weight per bushel will hardly ex-
coed % to "a pounds. In some sec
| tions of the state they will weigh a
little heavier than this In other seq
lions of the state they will go some
what lighter We would hardly eX-
pect to receive heavy crop of oats
the following season If we planted the
light chaffy seed which is so COM
mon throughout the state. Something
must be done. for large yields cannot
be produced from seed Of inferior
quality. We find that the per cent of
hull in the oats this year is very large,
some Of it running higher than so per
cent; very large amount of 1t runs
as high as 40 per cent. The low yield
Of oats this past year is due chiefly
to the fact that the oats did not fill
and Of course this is directly due to
the unfavorable climatic conditions
In favorable years we find that great
:, deal of inferior seed is sown by not
having been first properly screened
and famed. On an average it will be
found that if the oats which are save
for seed purposes be given thorou 81
screening and tanning and nothing
but large plump seed be used, 1t will
reduce the amount of seed from 40 tc
so per cent Once though is not sufn
cient. 1t cannot be properly selected
l without having been first run through
at least two and often three and -four
times This year then, when the oat.
), are so light, how important it is thu
the tanning mill be very vigorousl!
used.
Eliminate the chaffy Oats.
We would naturally expect heavie
, yields from large plump grains thar
t from the small or medium sizet
: plump grains, and such is the case
BY the use Of the tanning mill thel