The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-10-04
WILKINSON TALKS
ON OAT PLANTING
Says Crop Should Receive the
Best of Attention
THE USE OF FERTILIZERS
Urges Use of HOMEGROWN Seed as
Best Means of Securing Maximum
Yields-speaks of Cotton Seed
and Seed Corn.
THE USE OF FERTILIZERS

Montgomery, October -Cspecial.)-De-
string to be of what use possible in the
conduct of his office, Commissioner of
Agriculture j. A Wilkinson has compiled
a list of instructions for those who are
going to plant oats. This is a crop which
ought to have the best of attention, says
the commissioner, and he finds that men
often neglect some of the very important
features of the early planting period. A
word Is also put in about corn and cotton
seed by way of warning. The address,
which is signed by the commissioner, fol-
lows:
1.-THE work preparatory to sowing oats
should be done as soon as possible. Deep
breaking is essential and thorough har-
rowing to insure best results. II pos
sible, use the grain drill for sowing,
though there is no objection to disking
in provided you prefer to SOW broadcast.
Where land is well broken oats can be
turned in several inches deep. I have
often usd a two-horse plow, and several
times have turned under oats with a
three-horse disk turner, and have secured
good stands in this way. There Is but
little danger from frost or freezes when
oats are powed in several inches deep.
However, the open furrow has been re-
sorted to as the best and safest mode to
protect from freezing.
How to Fertilizer.
"Phosphoric acid and potash should be
applied literally at planting time; cotton
seed meal will do well to use provided 1t
is used before the weather gets too cold
In case the lands are wet or craw-fshy,
lime will add materially to the yield, as
much as 1000 pounds can be used per
acre, though in most cases 300 to 500
pounds will be sufficient. In case you use
stable manure apply it broadcast before
breaking the land. Probably the best form
of nitrogen or ammonia is nitrate of soda,
which should not be applied before Feb
ruary or March, or just about the time
the oats are ready to begin to run up for
heading; in case you use cotton seed
meal in the spring it is well to drag a
tooth harrow over the oats after APP
plying the meal, having the teeth of the
harrow set back so as not to injure the
stand of the oats
GOOD SEED Essential.
1.-THE most important thing to secure
maximum yields is the use of good home
grown seed. The old Texas rust-proof, if
from seed grown here, are good; also the
! homegrown Appler oats are very fine.
| There are some other splendid varieties.
! which are mostly improvements on the old
Texas red oat. l would not suggest the
use of the Burt oat, except you wish an
extra early variety, which can be used to
good advantage as an early hay feed, and
can be harvested for this purpose by May
l If sown In the fall.
"If parties having homegrown oats for
sale will write me the kind and price, L
think 1 can assist them in disposing of
them.
Every farmer in Alabama should SOW
a good crop of oats. Fall sowing is much
preferable to spring sowing
Cotton Seed.
1.-THE attention of the farmers of Ala
bama is called to the Importance of saw
ing their cotton seed for next years plant
ing The present high price being paid
for seed by the mills may induce many
of our farmers to sell their best seed. The
second or middle picking Is generally the
best seed to save for another seasons
planting; these should be carefully put
away and kept entirely dry; the danger
in saving the SEED from the last opening
of this years crop of cotton Is that a
large per cent of the late picking will be
from small and immature bolls, and hence
only partially developed seed.
Seed Corn.
"All farmers are urged to select from
their fields all corn necessary for their
next years planting, so as to secure the
best ears and from those stalks that are
of proper size and shape and from stalks
containing two ears, as we think the
stwo-eared varieties are generally the best;
this selected corn should be kept apart
from the general crop. After you have
made this field selection of course it will
be necessary for you to make what we
commonly term the barn selection This
can be done in the spring, when you are
ready for planting"