West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1909-07-15

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ss SessaS Ses %ora IBeSaHSS sS Sfoh hpye p aS
money I'm Il. II handled rightly. how
ever. oats can bo made money crop.
Ono OF the most important points I'm
oat growing is tho selection OF seed
that is adapted 10 tho locality. Oats
arc cool weather crop. Tho hot
midsummer weather OF tho corn belt
Is ono OF the chief factors causing low
ont yields. When the hot weather
strikes the oats they blight and rust
badly. Many times they crlnkle down
and do not flil well.
Advantage Of Early Varieties.
The only way this can be avoided I'm
the corn belt is 10 SOW early varieties
These ripen before the hottest weather
comes and escape many of tho trou-
bles that affect later oats. Early va
rieues are much less susceptible TO
rust than late ones are. Tho selection
OF rust proof varieties is the only way
or combating this disease, since, un-
Hike smut. It cannot bo prevented by
treating tho seed.
Experiments ut the Iowa experiment
station show nine bushels moro to tho
acre In favor OF early varieties. Tho
average OF twelve years experiments
nt tho Nebraska station gave the carly
oats fourteen bushels TO the nero adj
vantage. In good oat years-that IS,
those with n cool summer-the differ
ence is not so marked. In such sea-
sons tho late oats yielded seven bush
els TO the acre less than the early,
while the medium oats yielded n little
more. In bad oat years-and I'm the
corn belt four years out OF five are bad
from the oats standpolnt-tho early va
rieties yielded twenty-oDo bushels 10
the ncre more than the late and thir-
teen bushels more than the medium.
The medium varieties are more con-
venient, as they do not crowd in on
haying ana corn plowing like the early
ones do. The use OF improved hnyiDg
machinery is shortening the time re-
quired for putting up tho hay crop,
however. The advantage OF early oats
in yield will I'm most cases more than
make up for the disadvantage OF hay.
ing tho work crowded during tho first
half OF July.
Early oats have another advantage
in that they give tho clover bet
ter chance. Where tho oats are not
got or tho ground until tho last OF
July and dry weather follows, as II
SO often docs, tho clover makes little
growth and is often killed out entire
ly. With the adoption OF a systematic
rotation clover VIII nearly always be
seeded with oats. so that this is n point
that cannot be ignored
fsa
from distance TO seed the entire
field. Often you can get good early
seed from n neighbor at little moro
than market price II there are no
early oats In your community you can
send away for few bushels OF n new
variety ana plant them in n corner OF
the field 10y themselves. If they give
good satisfaction enough seed can bo
saved from them TO seed tho entire
held the next season. In the northern
part OF the United States and I'm Can.
ada, where the summers are cool, late
varieties can DO prontably grown. In
such localities they give a greater
yield and larger, plumper oat
Preparing tho Seed.
After the seed has been procured the
next step is TO get It into shape to
SOW. This means a liberal uso OF tho
flaming mill. A largo per cent OF tho
oats sown are shoveled from the bin
directly into the seeder. Most farm
ers who do fan their oats simply run
them through ODco 10 blow out tho
sticks and dirt md sieve out tho weed
seed. It pays well TO run tho oats
through the mill two or three times
70 blow out oil tho llC,it seed. Tho
work can be done IN winter when
there IS little else 60 do. Tho llght
oats that are blown out are Just as
good for feed MS the others, and tho
heavy ones that nro left arc worth sew.
eral times rs much for seed. In ex-
poriments carried on 10 show the com.
pnrative value Of light nnd heavy. oats
The light seed yielded forty-sevenst
els 70 the acre, tho medium afty-four
and tho heavy sixty.two. The differ.
enco may not be this great every time
but II VIII always be great enough 20
pay wen for the labor OF tanning.
There IS an objection TO using the
heavy oats FOR seed I'm that they tend
to become a little later each year. This
can be avoided by introducing somo
new seed OF an early variety every
few years Directions for breeding
seed oats Will be given In article z.
After the oats are cleaned aud grad.
ed they should be treated for smut.
smut IL a black fungus that grows
from q tiny sporo that lodges beneath
the hull when tho oat Is in bloom and
the kernel open. when the hull cloVea