Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-09-03
Weekly Bureau of In
formation for All Who
TilI the Soil o, Are In
sterested In Making Home.
,ASTART FOR NEXT YEAR;
SOW OATS IN THE SOUTH

WASHINGTON. September BE
cause of the shortage of corn in some
sections Of the South and the more
than usual need for growing at home
oil the feed that stock will require,
"a liberal acreage should be sown to
winter oats this fall wherever that
crop is adapted. While many farmers
had a disastrous experience with oats
last winter. when a large part OF the
crop was destroyed by the February
freeze. repetition of that occurrence
this year is not very probable. Oats
are generally recognized as being or
dinarily the best grain crop for fall
sowing in the South, as il usually
yields better than other grains. ma
lures carly. and both the grain and the
straw may be fed to live stock. In
'Tfact, 1T is very general practice in
many sections. either to cut oats for
hay or to feed them in the bundle.
to work stock. thus providing both
grain and roughaEe.
= The scarcity and high prices of seed
oats this fall. due to the short crop
olast spring. make it desirable to use
special precautions TO get good stand
with as little seed as possible. AS
LESS seed is neeued when the seed Is
sown early on well-prepared land. at
tention to these points will pay we'll.
Oats usually do best after cultivated
crop, SuCn as corn OF cotton. IL
these crops have been kept free from
weeds. 1t is best not to plow the land.
but 10 make fine. mellow seed bed
two or three inches deep, with the disk,
sprinG-tooth, or spike-tooth harrow.
The disk harrow is the best of these
tools for this purpose, though the
spike tooth or smoothing harrow should
: be used the last time over the field
to break clods left by the disk anG to
leave the surface fine and smooth
for the seed. A good seed he'd may
also be made with the disk harrow on
land from which a crop of cowpca or
soy-bean hay has been removed. Plow-
ing is not usually advisable unless
the land is very hard or weedy, as it
leaves the ground so loose that It dries
out readily. If the field must be plow-
ed. the work should be done at least
two weeks before seeding time. and
the land then disked or dragged thor
oughly to firm it.
y If the land is rich or if it has
been heavily fortified for the pre-
cecing crop. no further fertilization is
necessary. On most soils, however,
the addition CT 100 TO 200 pounds OF
: acid phosphate or some other form of
phosphate fertilizer before or at seed
Ing time is beneficial. Fertilizers con-
tanning nitrogen are usually applied
TO best advantage about The time the
growth starts in the spring.
- w inter oats should be sown in Vir-
Ginia from September Is to October
10. according TO the locality. In tho
~Carolinas and the northern portions
OF the other Southern States. SOW
: from October ! to November |.
The grain drill is the best method
OF sowing oats II one is not available.
the seed may be sown with an ordin-
AIRY cotton or corn planter or n one
horse drill. Sowing broadcast and
plowinS or diSking in REQUIRES more
seed and is poor and uncertain meth
Cd. The usual rate of seeding is al-2
TO three bushels. but this may be re-
Z duced to two bushels II the seed is
drilled early on well-prepared land.
Inc seed should be sown only deep
enough TO be sure that il is covered
win moist soil. for deeper seeding de-
lays Germina ton and carly growth
sowing one to liz incnes deep is
usually sufficient