The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-11-04
PLANT OiTS THIS FALL.
tiscs Clemson CcIicsc Advocates i'm
This Crisis.

This Crisis.
Clemson College, oct. 3O.-This
college urges farmers in all parts Of
South Carolina to put a considerable
part of their land in oats This fall.
crop of oats three times the size of
that of last spring is advocated and
already farmers are responding in
large numbers and indications are
that a record crop of oats will be pro-
duced by South Carolina this year.
! w. l.. Hutchinson, professor of
aSrOnomy of Clemson College, has
prepared in simple form, a statement
of all the facts about oats which it
is essential for farmers to know at
ment is presented below:
The climate and soils of South
Carolina are we'll suited to oats.
They are adapted to a wide range Of
soils and good yields may be had on
lands varying from sandy to heavy
clay loans. The crop may be har-
vested for grain or, cut for hay, and
sown in the fall is ready to harvest
the latter part Of the following May
or the first of June. Oats may. fol-
low cow peas, corn and cotton. SO
that practically all the land on the
farm is available for an oat crop if
desired, and there will still be time
left next year for all summer crops.
While it is usual to grow hay crop
after oats, both cotton and corn may
be grown.
u Oats may be sOwn in cotton by
using one-horse drill just behind
the cotton pickers, this being one of
most satisfactory and least expen-
sive methods of seeding. A stalk
cutter may be run later in winter to
chop the cotton stalks SO that they
binder at harvest time. Where oats
follow corn or hay crop, such as
cow peas or sorghum, the land should
be plowed and the oats drilled in,
broadcast and plowed in or narrowed
preferably, though the seeds may be
sown and diskcd in. Where a larger
with three or more tubes can be used
here as we'll as in the cotton. These
drills distribute the fertilizer as we'll
as plant the seed, and are, therefore.
economical.
Oats planted with a drill are not
so apt to winter kill as when planted
in after the land is plOwed. Still
another method, where there is much
danger of the oats heaving, is to
plant in the bottom of furrow made
with a shovel plow.
Fulghum and Appler or some
> strains of red rust proof oats should
be sown. Fulghum is about two
weeks earlier than the others.
The amount of seed sown varies
all the way from half a bushel to the
acre TO seven bushels to the acre.
One and a-half to two bushels per
acre is an amount widely used and
gives good results. In drilling, less
seed is required than by other meth
DDS. October is perhaps the best
time to sow oats but they may be
sown earlier and later with good re-
suits.
Where oats are sown for hay, a
companion crop such as hairy vetch,
crimson clover or Canada field peas
may be grown with them, and will
not only increase the yield of hay
} but will make the hay of a better
quality and will add to the fertility
of the soil.
Too rich soil or too much nitro
genous fertilizer may cause oats to
lodge. From two hundred to five
hundred pounds Of n mixture of
equal parts of cotton seed meal and
acid phosphate may be applied when
the oats are planted. In March top
dress with eighty to one hundred
pounds of nitrate of soda. This will
give good results.