Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-06-18

| prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agricultural
Oats usually are cut with grain
binder, though in the drier sections the
header or the combined harvester and
thrasher is used occasionally. When
the straw is very short, due to drought.
or when the crop is badly lodged. cut
ting with mower may be necessary
The grain may then be raked and put
into cocks, which should be built so as
ID shed rain. The proper time to cut
oats is when they are in the hard
dough stage. Cut before this time the
grain is not well filed, 1t shrivels in
curing, and is light in weight If al
lowed to become fully ripe before cut
ting, considerable part of the crop
skaters out and is lost in harvesting.
The danger of damage from storms
also is increased. When a large acre
age is to be harvested it is advisable
to begin cutting soon after the grain
passes out of the milk stage, as other
wise a considerable part of the crop is
likely to become too ripe before it can
be cut.
Shocking.
| If the grain is ripe or in the hard
dough stage when cut, it may be placed
at once In round shocks, which should
be capped to prevent damage from rain
and dew. The best quality of grain
can be obtained under these conditions.
If the grain is green or If the bundles
contain many weeds, they should be al
lowed to cure for a few hours before
| shocking, and then should be placed in
long shocks, which may or may not he
capped Long shocks allow the sun
and air to penetrate much more readily
than round ones and are to be prefer
| red when the grain is cut green or
when conditions for curing are not
| favorable. If long shocks are capped
properly, they protect the grain from
weathering quite as well as round
shocks. Grain that is wet from dew or
rain should be allowed to dry before
it is shocked. In sections where strong
winds prevail during the harvest seas
on Gaping is not advisable, as the
caps blow off and the cap sheaves
may be injured by contact with the
ground.
a good round shock may be built
by first setting up two bundles with
the fiat sides facing, the heads togeth-
er, and the butts a few inches apart.
! These bundles should be jammed down
hard into the stubble, so that they will
stand firmly. Then set another bun
die at each end of this pair, so that
there will be four in a row. Next set
one in the middle of each side. This
| leaves at each of the four corners a
| space in which a bundle should be
placed. There are now ten bundles in
| the shock, which is about the right
number. If the grain is very dry,
q few more bundles may be set around
the shock where they seem to fit best.
When the desired number of bundles
Is set up, the shock should be capped.
! One or two bundles may be used in
Gaping, depending on the length of
the straw and the dryness of the grain.
One cap allows circulation of air
through the shock, while two caps af-
ford greater protection from rain. The
| cap bundle is broken by supporting it
with the butts on one knee and with
one forearm and hand under it at the
| band, while the straw at each side is
| broken over just above the band with
| the other hand. The straw of about
half a bundle is broken to the right
with the right hand; then the hands
are reversed and the remainder of the
| bundle is broken to the left with the
| left hand.
Long shocks may be built by setting
| up two bundles with the fiat sides fac
ing, the tops together, and the butts
several inches apart to allow circula-
| ton of air between them. The next
pair of bundles should be set up along
side the first in the same way, with the
tops leaning slightly toward the first
pair. The shock is completed by set
ting another pair at each end and then
placing single bundles with the fiat
sides in the opening between each end
pair. If desired, more than ten bun
dies may be placed in long shocks. In
Gaping long shocks the first bundle
should be put on with the butts point
ing in the direction from which the
prevailing winds come and covering
the heads of the bundles in that end
of the shock as completely as possible.
The second cap should then be laid on
the other end of the shock In the same
manner, with the heads overlapping
those of the first. Two bundles will /
cover an ordinary long shock With con-
siderable overlap, but If the shock is
very large more than two caps may be
needed.
Stacking.
Whether oats should be stacked or
allowed to remain In the shock until |
they are thrashed depends very largely |
on local conditions. If they can be
thrashed from the shock after they are
cured but before they are injured by |
weather, the best course to pursue de- |
ponds on the relative cost of shock and !
stack thrashing Investigations show |
that stacking adds about one to one |
and one-haIf cents bushel to the cost |
of producing OF IS. AS thrashing outfits |
are often lot available when they are !
wanted and as consequently the grain !
is likely to be injured by weathering, |
stacking is generally advisable, partic-
ularly in the humid section.
When grain is stacked, 1t is impor-
tant that the stacks be well built. IL |
the stacks are put up so carelessly that
they will not shed water the grain /
might better be allowed to stand in the /