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4
THE SOUTHERN WORLD, MARCH 1,1882,
are much leu liable to depredations of in*
sects and vermin. This is obvious to all who
have any experience, and needs only to be
mentioned.
RELATIVE rXIOINO POWER.
We come now to consider the relative feed
ing power of oats and corn, and here we rely
chiefly on the results of actuul experience
in feeding the two.
We have already seen that analysis indi
cates that oats arc su]>erior to corn os u
muscular producer. Actual experience
abundantly sustains this indication. The
feeding power of one hundred pounds of
the grain of oats, with its accompanying
straw, is found by actual trial to be supe
rior to that of the same weigiit of shelled
corn, with its corresponding cured blades.
Referring again to the gentlemen (queried,
one says: "56 pounds of oats are better than
66 pouuds of corn another writes: “One
and one-fourth bushels of oats are equal to
one bushel of corn;” still another writes:
"One.busher of oats and their straw, are
equal to one bushel of corn and its fodder,’’
and so on. It is difficult to And a mean of
these estimates, so differently expressed.
Indeed, nothing short of a series of care
fully conducted experiments—such as I
have not found at hand—will show the ex
act relative feeding power of these two
grains. But front my own experience, and
that of others with whom 1 have compared
notes, i think I may safely say that one and
a half bushels of oats, or 48 pounds of clean
oats, are equal to one bushel, or 56 pounds
of shelled corn. Referring to the proximate
analysis given awhile ago, nnd by a little
calculating, we And that 48 ]>ounds of oats
and 56 pounds of corn will contain albumi
noids and carbohydrates as follows:
48 pounds of oats—5.76 pounds of albumi
noids and 32.10 pounds of carbohydrates;
total, 37.02.
66 pounds of corn—5.60 pounds of albumi
noids and 42.00 pounds of carbohydrates;
total, 47.00. *
We see here that the l'A bushels of oats
contain an appreciable excess of albumi
noids over the one bushel of corn, while the
latter has 9.84 pounds more of carbohydrates
than the former. This excess of carbohy
drates Is very probably little better than
wasted when fed to work stock in worm
weather; and when we come to add to the
Oats and corn each, its respective straw and
fodder, we shall And this apparent deficiency
of oats more than made up. It may be as
sumed as approximately correct that the 48
pounds of oats will have about 00 to 100
pounds of straw, wliilo the 56 pounds of
com will have 25 pounds of fodder and 10
pounds of shucks, or only 35 pounds in all.
Well cured oat straw is little, if any, infe
rior to the cured com blades, and any de-
flciency in this respect is abundantly made
up by the much greater quantity.
I have not the time nor you the patience,
(perhaps) to go further into detail. I think
enough has been said to show that VA bush
els of oats are at least equal to one bushel of
com.
RELATIVE PRODUCTIVENESS.
I propose next, to consider the relative '
productiveness of land in oats and in com.
On this point I And a remarkable agreement
in the experience of most farmers, vis: that
under similar circumstances an acre of land
will produce twice as many bushels of oats
as of com.
It is understood, of course, that the same
care be bestowed in the preparation of the
land in each case, the same quantities of ma
nure used, and equal care in the selection of
varieties of seed; and last, but not least,
that the oats be sown at the right time.
These conditions I propose to briefly discuss
after awhile.
If it is true that an acre of land under the
circumstances Indicated, will produce double
as many bushels of oats as of com, and that
48 pounds of oats (shelled) are equivalent in
feeding power to 66 pounds of com, the com
parison may be simply made in this way:
Take an acre of land which will produce 15
bushels of corn, or 30 bushels of oats, assume
(I think it cannot be far wrong) that there
will be 68 pounds of good straw ’to each
bushel of oats, and 35 pounds of fodder and
shucks to each bushel of com, and the ac
count will be found thus:
1 acre of oats grain, 30 bushels, or 060
pounds; straw or fodder, 1,240 pounds.
1 acre com grain, 15 bushels, or 840 pounds;
Straw and fodder, 525 pounds.
Difference.—In grain, 15 bushels or 120
pounds; Straw and fodder, 715 pounds.
But we have seen that 1 'A bushels of oats
are equal in feeding power, to 1 bushel of
com. Then 22K of the 30 bushels of oats
produced on one acre, are equal to the 15
bushel*.of com—the whole product of the
other acre. This leaves 7]A bushels of oats
as a surplus, to the credit of the acre in oats
on the grain account We should now take
account of the difference in the amount of
available straw on the one hand, and fodder
and shucks on the other. I have not been
able to lay my hand on an unalysis of corn
fodder—as we call it—the cured blades of
the stalk, stripped in the usual way; nor is
such analysis necessary to the practical so
lution of the question. For myself, I have
been in the habit of estimating com fodder
os a very valuable forage.—superior to cured
oat straw; though some consider them about
equal. But even granting that fodder is one
third more valuable, we still have a large
surplus of oat straw from the acre of oats—
amounting to 540 jnmnds in excess of the
amount necessary to equal the 525 pounds
of fodder.
On the whole the balance in favor of the
acre of oats is 1 X A bushels of oats and 540
pounds of straw—a very substantial margin
of proflt on the credit side of the oat ac
count, which multiplied by the number of
acres in a moderate sized crop would amount
to a goodly sum.
RELATIVE COST Of PRODUCTION.
Our minds are very naturally led, at this
moment, to enquire into the cost of pro
ducing an acre of each grain respectively,
a factor of great importance in estimating
the relative value of the two crops. I have
no accurate data upon which to base a very
reliable estimate, but the cost is certainly in
favor of oats—how much I cannot say.
Among the questions—already alluded
to—was this: “What is the comparative
cost of producing 100 bushels of oats and
100 bushels of corn 7" This was equivalent
to asking the comparative cost of one bushel
of each. The average of the replies to this
question, puts the cost of producing one
bushel of oats at 'A the cost of producing
1 bushel of corn. (Since the foregoing was
written a letter from Mr. Frank White, of
Hancock county, was received, in which he
estimates the comparative production of 1
acre each of corn and oats as 3 bushels of
oats to 1 of corn, and the cost of 1 bushel of
oats at 1-5 that of 1 bushel of com.) If this
be true, then, as VA bushels of oats are
found to be equal to 1 bushel of com in
feeding value, it will cost twice as much to
produce any given quantity of corn as it
would to produce its equivalent of oats I
And this result does not include the value
of the txcess in quantity of the straw over
the quantity of the fodder. I am willing to
disregard this item in view of any possible
error in the calculation, which may have
been made on other points.
The general conclusion then is, that it
costs only half as much to feed work ani
mals on oats as it costs to feed the same ani-
been mals on corn.
CONDITIONS OF SUCCESS.
As I have already intimated this general
conclusion depends upon the observance of
certain conditions, the use of the best va
rieties of seed, sowing at the proper time,
and in general the same care os a good far
mer will bestow on a crop of corn.
It Is just at this point that farmers have
generally failed. Every good farmer exer
cises more or less care in the selection of a
variety of corn that seems best adapted to
his purpose. He carefully picks the best
ears, shells them by hand, and takes every
precaution to be sure that this seed corn is
all right. He goes further: be bas hi* own
opinion os to the proper time to plant.
Every one knows that corn may be planted
in succession from the 1st of March to the
4th of July. But we all know that after the
middle of the month of March in middle
Georgia, taking the average of seasons, the
probabilities of a good yield of com fall off
very rapidly, excepting, of course, on low
lands that are not in a condition to plant ear
ly, In short, every farmer makes it a point to
plant his com crop, as noarly as providen
tial circumstances will permit, at just th e
right lime that time which has been found
by experience to be best calculated to Insure
a good yield. He does not consult mem
convenience with regard to other operations
of the farm, but every effort is made to have
the soil, seed-corn, fertilizers, etc., ready
before the set times arrives. The same prac
tice should prevail in sowing oats. The
ground should be selected, the seed and fer
tilizers provided, and all arrangements made
in anticipation of a certain appointed day,
on which the sowing should commence and
continue, without any unnecessary inter
mission to the end.
So far from following this course, it has
long been the habit of Georgia farmers to
sow small grain, particularly oats, at a “con
venient season.” The work was not allowed
to interfere with the picking and meeting
of cotton, and was deferred until everything
else was done, often until February or
March, and still oftener “indefinitely post
poned."
This habit, in a great measure, is account
ed for by the fact that we have never relied
on oats mainly as a food crop, but only as
incidental and supplemental, or to give a
little change of diet in June; for not one
farmer in ten, even of those who cultivated
oats, produced one month’s supply.
I repeat, that what has been said or may
be said in support of the proposition, that
oats are more reliable and productive than
corn, is based upon the observance of the
conditions specified, and not upon the actu
al average results as observed, or as shown
by census or other general reports.
VARIETIES OF OATS.
We will now proceed very briefly to dis
cuss some of these conditions. First, as to
varieties:
It may bo sufficient to say that the expe
rience of the past has shown that the great
est evil to be guarded against in the culture
of oats is nut, and that tills evil is greatly
abated by the discovery and pretty general
dissemination of the rust proof oat. I am
not disposed, even if prepared to do so, to
give a history of the several species or vari
eties, or even of this particular variety.
Suffice it to say, that the red rust proof ac
cording to the general opinion, is the typi
cal rust proof oat and that it originated in
Mexico and perhaps more remotely in Central
America. Whatever its origin, ithasproved
a very great boon to the South, and its in
troduction has been directly instrumental
in more than quadrupling the oat crop in
Georgia within the last ten years.
The Burt rust proof oat is said to have
originated from the red rust proof. This va
riety is earlier than the original, equally, if
not more prolific, and equally proof against
rust. The grain is of lighter color and
weighs leas to the bushel. Another variety
that has met with considerable favor in
North and some parts .of Middle Georgia, is
the winter grazing oat. As implied by the
name, it will bear grazing well, and is very
hardy to resist the effects of hard freezes,
but is not rust proof. But we must hasten.
TIME TO SOW OATS.
According to the judgment (based upon
experience) of a large majority of suc
cessful oat growers, the fall, by all odds is
the most favorable time for sowing. When
sown a month or more before the winter
sets in in earnest, the plants have time to
establish themselves so firmly in the soil,
that they will successfully resist anything
short of an extreme degree of cold, which is
about the only mishap or evil to be dreaded
or feared when sown at this season. The
great point gained in fall sowing is the ad
vantage that is taken of the winter and
early spring rains. This guarantees against
failure from the severe droughts of early
summer, which are so often ruinous to
spring sown crops. Some advocate sowing
in the first twelve days after Christmas, but
I could never see any special advautage in
that particular time. Sown at that time
they are less liable to be destroyed by freez
ing than late fall sown, and are more secure
against rust and May droughta, than spring
sown.
I think the safer practice is to sow a full
Fall crop—saving some seed over—and if the
crop be killed then sow in January or
February. Even if a Fall crop be killed, the
destruction will generally occur during the
latter half of December or the first half of
January—leaving ample time to sow the
same land again, or elsewhere. The actual
loss is but the seed, as the plowing and har
rowing are not thrown away.
Assuming that it is better to sow in the
Fall, it is not easy to give a general rule as
to the best month. About the best I have
seen is this: Sow as long before the first of
January as the main crop of Indian corn is
planted after the first of January. For in
stance : if, the usual time for planting the
main crop of corn in any given latitude be
March, then sow oats in October; if com is
planted in,February, sow oats in November;
if com is planted In April, sow in September.
I think this rule will apply with little varia
tion, to any portion of the South.
MANURINO OATS.
Observation shows that there is no crop
on which suitable manures or fertilizers give
better results than when applied to oats. It
may be said, generally, that any fertilizer
that is good for com, will also be suited to
oats. Both require ammoniated manures,
with this difference in favor of oats: that a
larger application can be made without
danger of injury, because oats grow and ma
ture before the usual drouth and heat of sum
mer comes on. Cotton seed is admirably
adapted to oats, with the exception that
they cannot be applied to an eurly crop un
less effectually killed or prevented from ger
minating.
Ammoniated superphosphate of limo is
an excellent fertilizer for oats, and may be
most conveniently applied os follows: Wet
one or more bushels of oats thoroughly in u
large tub or trough, allow the surplus water
to drain away and then stir in the desired
quantity of fertilizer. Fifty to 100 pounds
per bushel may easily be applied to or
mixed with the seed in this way, and will
be found very convenient thus to mix and
sow all together.
STATISTICS OF PRODUCTION.
Before leaving the subject, it will bo inter
esting to all, and encouraging to many who
hear me, to observe the relative production
of oats and corn in this State and in the
whole Unitrd States foroacli decennial iicriod
since the year 1850. From the census re
turns I have compiled the following table,
showing tile total population (expressed in
thousands) of the United States nnd Georgia,
the total numberof horses nnd mules in each
respectively, the number of bushels of oats
and corn (expressed in thousands) produced
in each, the calculated amount of euch grain
per capita of population and per capita of
horses and mule# for each census yenr:
11111 i 1 f
-■ 1 * ? - B 1 ? 1
IlSiiSSS
IS i! r, § g P 8 1?
g § i I : J H 1 §
o
srS W
• c.
g?!r ©
fg °
• a
Is i 1 ! 1 1 s
i I
1 |
1 s
gSsSgigS
3 1
c
E. ~ E.
S&rBgBSJS
H M
o W
is 9
X 3
7 '
3 H
Si 1
?- S
1 •»
s i 5 2 a 5 t g
§2 ®
ag g
|| 5
» 8 a £ f. B 5 8
if t
ll g
In conclusion, allow me to say that I am
conscious of failure on my part to do jus
tice to the subject. In preparing this crude
essay, many thoughts havo suggested them
selves to my mind, and have even run down
to the pen’s point, but lmvo been arrested
and put aside for want of time to properly
elaborate and investigate. I would have
been glad to enlarge ujioii the advantages of
oats in rotation, the facility such a crop
gives in any scheme for the improvement of
the soil. If I shall succeed in directing the
attention of this convention more strongly
to the importance of the subject discussed,
and shall stir up increased interest in out
culture, I will feel amply repaid for my time
and labor.
1N41IIBY COLUMN.
C., Clayton county—“Are those who were
opposed to stock law bound, by the vote of
the majority, to come under its provisions?
This law goes intg effect first of May; how
can I best prepare for it?”
Answer : Of course you lire bound by the
vote of the majority. The General Assembly
made it a law subject to the adoption of a
majority of the voters of the county, and to
take effect six mouths after such aduption.
At the end of that six months it is of force
In the county so adopting it, and must be
obeyed by all.
The only crop you can plant now to pro
vide food for your cattle is oats. You should
have already sowed a liberal area in these;
if not, sow at once. Select also an acre of
good land for every animal—horses, mules
and cattle—you propose to keep, prepare
well andsowa mixture of red clover, orchard