The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1909-07-16

to become little later each year This
can be avoided by introducing some
new seed OF an early variety every
few years. Directions for breeding
seed oats will be given In article 7.
After the oats are cleaned and grad
ed they should be treated for smut
Smut is black fungus that grows
from tiny spore that lodges beneath
the hull when the oat Is In bloom and
the kernel open. when the hull closes
the sporc IL held inside until the next
season, when II sprouts and sends
thread up through the stem to tho
head. There the smut grows, produc-
ing a black mass where the head
should he. Often rs many as 10 per
cent OF the heads will be affected In
this way, These black heads are not
easily noticed. so that the damage Is
usually underestimate.
The simplest method OF treatment Is
to spread the oats out on tight floor
and sprinkle them with solution OF
one pound of formnlin to forty gallons
Of water. This amount Is sufficient
for forty bushels OF oats. Shovel the
oats over two or three times until they
nre thoroughly wet. and then pile them
up and cover them with blankets or
sacks The fumes from the formalin
will penetrate beneath the hull and
kill the smut spores. In the morning
the oats should be spread out again
and shovelcd over occasionally until
dry. They can be sowcd wet. but in
that case the seeder should be set to
SOW about II bushel to the mere more,
as they do not run through as readily.
This work should be done on n warm
day, as freezing while the oats are wet
will injure the termination. This treat
ment costs only about cent bushel
and is very effective.
Preparing tho Seed Bed.
One of the most neglected points In
oat culture is the preparation Of tho
seed bed Oats do better on n rather
firm seed bed II the field was in corn
the year previous It will not be neces-
sary to pillow unless the ground IL very
hard 1t should be disked thoroughly,
however. to cut up the stalks and pull
verizc the upper two or three inches.
1t will usually be profitable to let the
disk Zap half" as this does away
with ridges and leaves the land In
better shape One narrowing after the
disking leaves the ground in splendid
shape to receive the seed.
Methods Of Seeding.
There are several methods OF seed.
ing, OF which the end gate seeder Is
the worst and the disk drill the best
The two main objects in seeding are
to get the seed in evenly and at ap-
proximately the same depth. The end
gate seeder fulflls neither of these re-
Quirements. The broadcast seeder scat.
tiers the seed evenly. but 1t is covered
no better than with the end gate seed
er since both depend upon the disk for
covering. The disk drill is more ex-
pensive and does not get over the
ground as rapidly, but 1t distributes
the seed evenly and puts 1t at the
same depth. The seed is dropped in
burrows made by the disks and thor
oughly covered, so that one narrowing
is all that Is necessary after drilling
Experiments show u considerable adj
vantage in yield in favor Of the disk
drill.
At the Iowa station the average of
four years experiments showed nine
bushels to the acre in favor Of drilling
over broadcasting. From half BUSH
ell to bushel less seed to the acre Is
required when drill Is used. as all