Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1912-09-13
From Agricultural Commissioner.

Md|Vuy uAioo'S 0SHIs ", AvA6s
This is the time of the year when the
farmers should be planning to sow
oats. 1t seems to me that an oat crop
is more necessary this fall than for
several years. The cotton crop is very
short and we shall have more time
than we have in some years to prepare
oat land. The corn crop of the county
is poor, and to buy feed, it is still very
high.
Some farmers say fall-sown oats on
the black lands is a bad idea. have
talked with many farmers who live on
black lands and most of them say if
oats are properly put in that it is safe
crop. Failure must be due to lack OF
preparation of the seed bed. ! have
seen some very fine crops of fall sown
oats on black prairie lands.
There are other reasons why you
should plant an oar crop than from the
standpoint of supplying your feed bins.
| know that comes first and it should,
but there is another reason that counts
as big factor in good farming. 1t is
an ideal crop in system of rotation.
You must improve your soils or else
you arc going to go right on making
poor, and>poorer crops. You may not
begin system of farming this year
nor next to build up your lands, but you
will come to it finally. You will be
forced into it. / know with your GUS
tom here of turning out your cattle in
the winter to bog over your fields after
a few peas. dried out shucks and a few
green leaves of grass here and there,
that you will say, l would have to
fence an out field off or the loose cattle
would ruin my crop. You sre follow
ing a bad example some man started
long ago. anyway when you let your
cattle tramp over land during the win
ter. you know that. But l am not 60
ing to say more about that.
If you have no land fenced off where
you can sow oats, don't you think it
will pay you to do the fencing? You
have'a wonderful opportunity with oats
followed by japan clover or lespadeza
on the red post-oak lands, and followed
by me1Iitotus ON the black lands for en-
riching your soils,
Your lands need nitrogen and need it
badly and you can store your land with
it very rapidly by following osts with
these legumes. am glad to hear of
some farmers who are preparing to put
in good acreages of oats this fall.
There should be others many others.
Sometime ago an inquiry from Wash
ington was sent to the southern states
to every county in each state, to find
out how many farmers are practicing a
systematic rotation of crops. Twenty
eight were found in Mississippi and
some of these doubtful. Noxubee
county's report was blank. She may
have few but failed to find them.
If you sow just one acre of oats get
good seed-the best you can buy.
Don't go to your merchant and buy
what he happens to have, but go to
him and ask him to order for you what
you want of heavy grade of Appler,
One Hundred Bushel, or good red rust
proof. The Appler and the One Hun
dred Bushel varieties are the heaviest
yielders we have. The Kberson and
sixty-day varieties have not been tried
out in the south sufficiently to he rec
commended.
j shall be glad to hear from farmers
who are preparing to sow oats this fall.
Keep, in mind that good preparation
pays with oats as well as with any
other crop and that heavy yields are
not made on poor land.
J. W. HADpoN.