The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1913-07-05
GROWING OATS
October the Best Month for Planting
Oats in the South-Compares Well
with Eorp

From October | to November 10, |
according to latitude, is the best time |
to SOW oats in the cotton belt. The |
area in oats should be fully as large as !
that in corn. Great enthusiasm now |
prevails in regard to corn but let us |
not forget that as a feed for stock |
and cash crop, oats is one of the
best crops that can be grown in the |
south.
The chief crops grown all through
the cotton belt are cotton and corn.
AS an average, for the period from i
1900 to 1909, there was planted from
ten to fifteen acres of corn for each |
acre of oats in the various cotton belt
states. During the same time, the
average value of the oat crop per
acre was $1,000. while the average
value per acre of corn was s1l.02.
Figuring the cost Of growing an oat
crop and corn crop we find that the
oat crop was the more profitable.
There are several important reasons
why we should SOW millions of acres
of oats in the cotton belt; 1t would
reduce washing and teaching to the
minimum furnish grazing, add to the
deplorably deficient supply of humus,
and add to the always short supply Of
feed stuffs.
OF course, there are better winter
cover crops than oats. Burr clover
and crimson clover and the vetches.
and in some cases some of the other
winter cereals are better. We do not
claim that oats alone. or that oats and
hairy vetch combined should be growr
for the sole purpose of supplying a
cover crop However, in view of the
fact that oats will grow on poor land,
poorly prepared, and that it costs lit
tie to seed an acre, it is good win
ter cover crop.
Two and one-half acres were planted
In oats at the experiment station at
Baton Rouge. La, for grazing expert.
ment on September %. On October
%, seven poland china pigs, weighing
in total 276 pounds, were put on this
plat and were given no feed but the
green oats during the winter. By
February Il the pigs weighed a total
of 56S pounds. There was an average
gain of 81 pounds per pig per day for
10 days. From October 90 to January
/, forty-five head of sheep were pas
tured on this same field. OF this
number eight ewes and nine lambs
were pastured continuously thereafter
until February II. at which date the
lambs averaged sixty-eight days old
and weighed 35.5 pounds each. Al.
lowing six cents per pound gained by
the lambs, we have return of $3.50
per acre, plus the pasturage of sheep
not considered in the estimate.
The loss of humus from the soil
results in decreasing it's power to
store up and properly supply crops
with water. Soils with liberal
amount of humus are capable of more
effectually withstanding drought than
similar soils with less humus. The
oat crop fills the soil full of roots, and
the stubble also adds much humus to
the soil
The oat grain is a very valuable
feed. especially for young animals,
because of the moderately high con-
tent of protein and the large ampunt
of ash or mineral matter Pound for
pound, oats are not as valuable
feeding mature animals as corn, -four
pounds OF cork-A~ss.-ess.rrs- te-ese
I'VE pounds Of oats.
In attempting to build up wornt out
cotton lands we must depend very
largely upon the leguminous crops.
Now the oat crop is harvested early
enough to permit the growing of a
1eguminous crop. The leguminous
crop may be plowed under or 1t may
be used as feed, and the manure, re-
turned to the land. If we are going
to build up our soils and raise good
stock we must grow oat crops and fol-
low with legume crops.
Oats will prove about the best paying
small grain crop that cHn be grown
over practically the entire cotton belt.
The same soil that will produce one
bale of cotton or forty bushels of corn
per acre will produce sixty bushels of
oats per acre. At an average price
that has prevailed for oats during the
past five years. the sixty bushels will
sell for from $36 to $40 and the straw
when baled will often pay for growing
the grain.
After using the disk harrow to cut
the corn stalks or cotton stalks, pillow
the land deep. then disk and double
disk and harrow and cross harrow
until every inch of the soil has been
stirred and broken as fine as possible.
A mixture of 800 pounds of sixteen
per cent acid phosphate, 100 pounds
| of cotton seed meal. and 200 pounds
| of potash followed in March with a
| top dressing of fifty to seventy-fve
pounds of nitrate of soda per acre. is
! good fertilizer for oats on average soil.
The best varieties for fall sowing in
| the south are of the red rustproof
| type. The original red rustproof
The Appler and the Bancroft. are SO
| nearly alike that no one can tell them
| apart if sown side by side. The Burt
! oat is for spring sowing.
There are three methods commonly
practiced in planting oats-sowing
broadcast, open furrow, and drilling.
| Drilling of the seed is to be preferred,
since considerably less seed may be
used if drilled by machine: the seeds
are covered at a uniform depth, come
up, grow. and ripen uniformly; the
small ridges made by the drill afford
slight degree of protection from
cold; and the yield from drilled oats
IS usually greater than from broad
cast oats. The seed saved. and the
larger crops that usually result from
drilled oats will soon pay fer coed