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VOL. XXXI.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., JULY 25, 1896.
NO. 30
EXPERIENCE DEPARTMENT
WINTEB TTJBP OATS-
- - ~_
Variety of Keanlts in Growing Them.
Mr. Lett of Jackson Oounty Thiols Them
Superior to Spring Oats.
1st. Premium. I herewith send you
my experience with winter tnrf
oats. About - September 15, 1894,
I sowed two bnshels of winter oats on
new upland, or white oak flat land. The
following winter being rather severe
they froze out badly, and at threshing I
had eight bushels of oats and four bushels of cheat. Last year, 1895,1 sowed fonr
acres of winter oats on the flrst day of
September, on the best of bottom land,
sowed one bushel of seed to the acre.
They came upand completely covered the
ground before winter, and grew well all
winter, and by the last of May they were
four feet high and looked as if they might
yield an immense crop, but there -came
a rain withwind and they went down in
a mess and never got up any more. It
continued wet and finally back water got
oyer a large portion of them. We cut
some of them with a mowing machine and
raked, and fed them as hay the -most of
the grain having shattered out. . Some of
my neighbors have grown them success-
•*^~74i^-3!fe?5'P^*rta?^Bet^8-"SjhU5l".
[ _,^"m -iO to*©)husfieisr'per: acr^S^-i^-rrSfllid
them _yefy. hard Jto keep anything like
"pure.- They so readily get wheat and rye
mixed with them, and they seem always
to have more or less cheat mixed with
them.. Some of my neighbors have pastured them both in the fall and early
spring, with no visible damage to the average yield. I think they are best
adapted to rather light soil, and require
early seeding, not later than September
1st They seem to grow very much in
bunches, and stool out wonderfully.
Their time of ripening is right along with
wheat, and I look at them as superior to
spring oats as you can get them in better
condition ahd can harvest and thresh
with wheat. D. M. Lett.
Jackson Co.
2d Premium.—-I-bought one peck of
winter oats last fall a year ago and paid
$2 for it They got belated and I did not
receive them until some time in November. I sowed them and they did not come
»p till late and got frozen out. In the
spring the patch looked as bare as a desert. The folks wanted to plow it up. I
thought not and left it- It. began to
thicken np and made right good oats. I
sowed - them again last • fall * and had
enough to sow three acres. I plowed the
gronnd -dry and lit_ was so cloddy it
would not hold moisture. I got the
ground in good fix on top and sowed my
oats about the last of August. They did
not come up till nearly Christmas, and
"omeof them did not come at all. This
spring the piece looked bare as ever. I
left it and it thickened up again and will
make right good oats in spots. Some
people that' got rain last fall have the
finest kind of winter oats. I am going to
sow 14 acres'about the middle of August
'or fall and winter pasture.; It is very
tender and makes good pas ture for calves.
I believe it is better than rye. One grain
will stool out and make a handful. It
has almost formed a sod in my field,
*here I thought there was none. * This is
all my experience with winter oats at the
Present, but I-hopeM-will be able to say
more about them next spring. My little
Patch last year turned out surprisingly.
Bnt in rotation of crops wheat should not
follow winter oats, as the oats will get
"nixed with the wheat and cause trouble.
Harrison Co.   •     ■* v ,: -, 2____,;Hoosier. ' -
3d Premium.—I have sowed winter oats
two years, and as it has been so dry both
times they have not had any chance at
all. I only sowed a small patch last year
and in the spring they looked so bad, in
fact it looked aa though there weren't
any there at all, I came very near plowing them under and planting to corn, but
they being something new I let them
stand. In a shbrt time they began to
look better, and I never saw any kind of
grain that would make as large a bunch
or stool as much from one grain as does
winter oats, and by harvest they made a
very fair crop. Last autumn I sowed
more of them, but having a very dry fall
again I met with, about the same resnlt
as before; bnt this time some are on a
high place or hill* side, while part of the
patch is a basin or low place, and there
they are a great deal better than on the
hill side, sol think if we could have more
rain they would make a fine crop, and I
think that low gronnd would suit them
better - than high, dry land. I intend to
sow a field in this oats and orchard grass
early this fall for pasture. I think they
will make fine pasture if we only have
rain to start them when sowed; I have
part of the ground broke now. J. D. L.
Corydon.      - :■
I will add iny experience so far with
winter oats. I purchased enough seed to
sow one acre; sowed same as wheat last
fall in corn stubble, results at present are
a few bunches of - something that looks
like cheat. I did not investigate closely
';. ^g|^a notriotIc£*any.eohatJa'fceed, but
I suppose there" was, or else the oats
turned to cheat - C.'E. H.
Warrenton, 111. ."._
Last fall I bought two bushels of winter
tnrf oats and sowed the same about the
12 th of September, on good ground; but
on accountof dry weather it did not make
a very good growth last fall. This spring
it looked as though it was about all winter-killed, but when the warm weather
came it greened up some, but when it
came out in head it was about all cheat;
except a strip about 10 or 12 feet wide
next the fence. I think there is not more
than one grain of oats to 100 of cheat
Now the question is, does winter oats
turn to cheat under any circumstances
or conditions ? Now will some one that
kas made this a special subject of study,
write an article on the nature of cereals
and plants and have it published in the
Indiana Farmer. I see there is complaints in other places of their winter
oats turning to cheat B. S. D.
Carroll Co.
—Answering question No. 22, July 25,
"Experience with winter oats," will say,
someyears'past I purchased.of Mr. Jesse
Mitchell, of Lawrence county, two sacks
of winter oats. He had raised the oats
the same season, and said they had been
seeded the fall before. I sowed them in
the month of September, and they grew
and looked well until winter, and that
was the last I ever saw of them, not one
spear was left to tell what became of the
others. Mr. Mitchell told me he had the
same experience. My faith is very much
shaken in trying to raise winter turf
oats. W. W. H.
Greensburg.    " -.. ' .   :
The last week in August '95, I sowed
three acres in winter oats. The land was
most all clay and some of it very thin.
The fall was dry and it made a poor start
before winter set ih, and abont one acre
froze out Several told me I had just as
well plow up the balance and I cut it
with a mower, as it was down flat, where
soma bnildings had stood. We did not
get it all, but threshed 70 bushels of good
oats. lam going to sow five acres for
pasture in corn next week., WiU gather
the corn and pasture when the ground is
not wet Will put the same field in corn
next year. The land is a rich creek bottom. Will sow three acres in. August tb
stand for next year.        W. N.-Harris.";
Hancock Co. - ■    —■■-..-.     - >
•■   REVIEW.
Winter oats does not seem to be raised
much in the north part of the State.
Several fields were sown abont here
last year with unsatisfactory results.
Cheat is often in the seed. Probably because of their winter killing so badly,and
also that cheat is hard to get out of oats,
and does not attract attention when with
It Cheat being hardy takes free possession of the naked soil where oats have
been killed.
Our correspondents do nol follow with
wheat, because volunteer oats will not be
killed out by winter. This is a great
drawback to ns ln tbis section. Spring
oats falls in rotation with wheat and
clover taking the place of part of the
oorn crop, thus dividing the spring work.
We follow both corn and oats with wheat.
Possibly we might change our rotation.
If we could get clover to grow in oats,we
could let oats follow corn as wheat does.
No one told us whether clover grows better with winter oats than spring oats, and
you know that we seldom secure a stand
of clover with spring oats. There are two
reasons for it One is the loose condition
of the soil, and the second is the fact tbat
oats drink up about one-third more water
in growing than wheat requires.
I was eating dinner in Indianapolis
yesterday and two strangers began talk-
•nS-    ' '",'.'','_■'"''
- Bill, have you cut your oats yet?
': O yes, long ago.^They^re.iii. the barn
llOW?-^'^*'1"*^--':''    ■ **"- _.-v:.-_f-"*-t****«■** -~-_~,*- ^<.V-
: Why Ihow'do you happen to be ahead
of every body out your way?   _
O! you see I had winter oats.
Winter oats, and how do you like 'em?
Well, they sometimes suffer with winter, but they pay me well in three ways.
We sow them in the fall and they are out
of the way of spring work. They make
the tenderest, best pasture both fall, winter and spring. I had rye in the same
field and stock would walk across the
oats to feed.
My calves lived on that oats most all of
the fall, winter and spring. Now it has
made a good crop. It isn't threshed yet,
but it is a good crop. Several neighbors
are speaking for seed of me.
Do you follow with wheat?
0 no, it mixes you know.
They say it stools well?
Beats anything I ever saw to stool. A
whole handful comes from one grain. As
high as 80 stalks have been counted.
1 was pleased to see this man unknowingly endorsing our correspondents experience with winter oats. All agree
that our dry falls, since its introduction,
may have much to do with its failure.
But for this latitude and north I would
expect if we had a few windy, naked
freezes down to 10 below zero, that we
would lose the crop, and still the fact of
having the ground covered with a green
growth taking up nitrogen and shading
the soil all fall and winter, together with
lots of fine tender fall pasture would pay
well for cost of seeding.
Seed sold out of sight last year, even as
high as $150 a bushel. I afterwards heard
that a neighbor sold at 50 cents. One
bushel is thick seeding. If drilled, as it
should always be, three pecks are ample.
Onr correspondents have supported the
department qnlte well during these bnsy
hot days of spring and harvest One feels
very thankful when he knows that the
life of the department depends on our
subscribers to receive experience copy
pretty freely preparatory to the approaching topic. Some suggest that
while they enjoy the department they
are too lazy to write. Others say they
have read our discussions with great interest from week to week and could
hardy refrain from jumping into the pool
themselves.'- ••'-_.'*
* If we can run this page on a high plane,
teaching both a broad view of principles
and. the practical local- application of
them we hope  tbat many will be en
thused enough to lend a hand. That is
what makes things lively.
Thanks to our 50 ahd more recorded
patrons who have given us helpful copy.
Possibly next week's topic will be deferred a week or two, as I desire to enjoy
a vacation and ride "Ole Sam" (my wheel)
into Ohio.
Our copy on the Social privilege and
duty of the farmer's family, is not very
plenty and I hope that our lady friends,
whether subscribers or not, will join ns
and send some good copy on this subject.
TTSINa MANURES.
The following articles on the care and
use of barn yard manure came too late to
appear with others on competition for
prizes: In saving manure it is especially
necessary to shelter it from rain and prevent heating. Aside from cost shelter is
easily provided, but some care is necessary to prevent healing. Stable and stall
shonld be constructed with reference to
animal comfort and.preservation of manure. Bottom of stable should be impervious and smooth and solid. Thus to
shut out moisture from the earth below
and prevent the escape of stale. Bottom
of stall should be slightly higher in front
than at rear to induce liquids to creep
from among solids. Stale should be taken
up by absorbents such as land plaster or
sawdust. Straw and rubbish from about -
the barn will also answer. The solid por
tion of the manure must be dry or prac- ~
tlcally so beforeWspln^q^^asiJi^inr-
surely heat and fire and ' be seriously
injured. Catch basins are unnecessary
as absorbents will do equally well if not
better. It Is best to apply manure that is
not coarse at the surface after breaking.
It can thus be made to reach over considerably more territory and will stimulate growth equally well, as a larger quality plowed under. Besides in the latter
case rains carry the fertilizing properties
down into the sub-soil beyond the reach
of growing plants. Applied at the surface however, manure should be thoroughly Incorporated with the earth by
harrowing. Coarse manure may be
plowed under. It is equally well to uso
it as a mulch if circumstances will let.
Rains will carry its properties into the
earth. During the winter manure need
not be saved. It will be as good luck ss
any to apply it at once to wheat or rye or
meadow. Avoid too great declivity, however, as on these it will wash away rather
than into the earth. X. Y.
-*
_ -5
One of the most prevalent errors among
average farmers Is the neglect of making
and saving manure, and also its improper
application to the ground. Liquid manure has been greatly neglected of late,
simply because farmers do not know, or
cannot appreciate its great value. There
Is no manure or fertilizer used at the
present time that can compare to liquid
manure. It will benefit and improve
crops qnicker, and the benefit therefrom
is more lasting than from any other fertilizer. Your own barnyard shonld supply all you will need, but you must take
good care of it. I have a barnyard baslm
and in it I spread a layer of straw, then
remove manure from horse and cow stables and spread on the straw, then more
straw and more manure with a layer of
earth or ashes occasionally, to keep it
from burning. Manure must be mixed
or worked over to give best results. Some
farmers consider this to be a hard job,
but it can be done with hardly any work.
Take a sharp pointed stick, punch holes
in compost heap, then fill np holes with
shelled corn and'turn yonr hogs in there.
The hogs will root and dig till*, the whole
mass is a complete mixture. Never let
hogs sleep on compost heap. Barnyard
manure is looked npon as a general and
complete manure, supplying the most
needed elements of plant food. When
manure is'thoroughly fine and well rot-
Contlnued on Oth page.