Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1912-01-24
0AT GROWING IN IOWA
II. &. Holden, Corn Expert, Gives
Excellent Advice Before
Short Course.
FARMERS CAN DOUBLE YIELD.
Seven MaXims Laid Down by Can.
didate for Governor for
Oat Culture.

Oat Culture.
Every farmer in Iowa grows oats
Every farmer must grow oats. Corn
Is king. Corn is the big money crop
But oats are indispensable. They are
required to prepare the ground fol-
the corn, to make up an ideal rota-
tion of crops, to provide seed and
straw, and to put the corn root worm
to rout.
Corn requires loose, mellow soil.
A crop of oats puts the soil in
fine tilth for the corn.
All this is explained by Prof. p.
G. Holden in his lecture on oats,
which was part of the work for be-
ginners in the school of agronomy at
the state college short course this
year.
Since we must grow oats, then let
us grow all we can.
How?
By observing these seven maxims /:
Fan and grade your seed.
Sow your seed early.
3-Remember that early and me-
dium varieties are best suited to
Iowa's climate.
Prepare better beds for your
seed.
5-Remember that it is better to
seed by drilling than by broadcast
ing.
6-Treat early oats for smut.
Always SOW clover with your
oats.
For the five years from 1906 to
1910 (inclusive) the acreage of oats
in Iowa was about half of the acre
age of corn. The yield per acre of
oats was less than one-half of the
corn yield. The value of the oats
was less than one-half OF the corn.
Iowa farmers should not, must not
be satisfied with these small yields
of oats. They should not stop at
yields of 20 to 80 bushels to the
acre. England, thousand miles
north of us, raises from so to 100
bushels to the acre.
Farmers, you must fan and grade
your oats because the breed deterior>
ates unless you do. If you SOW your
oats without first tanning cut the
chaffy stuff, your crop will run to
stalks.
Keep up the yield by tanning and
screening. Keep and plant only the
best of your seed. Screen out the
little seeds and plant only the big
ones.
Your stock of seed may be i'm
proved by bringing in seed varieties
grown in countries to the north. This
is not true of corn, however.
One of the ten commandments of
corn culture in Iowa is: mon shalt
not import seed corn. 1t has been
proven by experiments that Iowa
corn is best for seed, that Iowa corn
yields most bountifully.
Experiments running through a
period of seven years show how i'm
portant is the command to fan and
grade. Results of these experiments
follow:
Bushels Pounds
per acre. per blu.
Large ...... go 1872
Medium ..... .54 1922
small Al 31.S
Similar experiments for a period
of twelve years show a yield of rs
bushels an acre and a weight of 35
pounds a bushel for heavy oats. Also
a yield of so bushels and a weight
of 25 pounds for light oats.
In the light of such results, re-
member to fan and grade your seed
Oats is cool weather crop. There
fore seed early. Oats mature better
in cool weather. If planted early
the crop reaches maturity under the
more favorable conditions of early
summer. Every day that the crop
remains unharvested after the be-
ginning of the hot days of July may
mean disaster. The crop can be cut
in two in two days by hot winds or
scorching sun.
What kills oats in the spring? Not
early seeding but careless planting.
II the seed is simply "mopped" over
the ground, then the freezing of
early spring will kill the germ of
life. But II the seed is planted right
and really placed beneath the
warmth of the soil, then no spring
freeze will result in harm.
If the farmer is late in seeding his
oats then he puts his corn behind.
He is twenty minutes late all sum-
mer. If he gets off on the right foot
and sows his oats early he keeps his
temper and his religion. 1t makes
him a better citizen.
Early sown oats are better, too,
for the sake of the clover sown at
the same time. The latter then has
better chance to "catch" and make
crop.
There is the more chance for rust
in proportion as the crop progresses
into July. Seed early.
Accomplish this by discing before
and after drilling in the seed. Alsc
LAP" the disc. That means allow
the swath of the disc to overlap az
1t rounds the field.
BY drilling the seed is distributed
evenly over the field. About two ant
one-half bushels an acre is required
For sowing broadcast about three
bushels must be used. Results of the
latter method are poor. The seed Il
unevenly sown and the quality Il
poor because the grain does not ripeI
evenly. 1t ripens most quickly II
the thickest places. You know thi.
because you have seen fields of 0at'
- IN u