People's Pilot, Volume 6, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 September 1896 — Winter Oats in Indiana. [ARTICLE]

Winter Oats in Indiana.

Purdue Newspaper Bulletin. Wimer oats is a comparatively new and untried crop in the State. Advertisers claim winter oats to be hardy in Indiana, heavier, more prolific, and a more certain crop than spring oats. The tests at the Experiment Station do not sustain these claims as to yield, hardiness, and the reports in the agricultural press are conflicting. A number of queries were sent recently to fifty farmers living In northern, central and southern Indiana. The following is a summary of the twenty replies received: Eight state that they have grown winter oats one year; four, two years; one, three years. The area varies from one to twentyfive acres. The yields range from nothing to sixty bushels to the acre. Four state that they sow in August, six in September, and one in September and October. The quanity of seed sown varies from three pecks to two bushels to the acre. Most sow but one .bushel. Eleven stale that they sow with a drill, and one sowed a part of the seed broadcast. Five state that their purpose in growing winter oats is to obtain seed. Six state that they sow both for pasture and seed. In reply to the question. ••Would you advise your neighbors to grow winter oats as a regular farm crop?” five answer “yes.” Two of these five correspondents live in Bartholomew county, and one each in Madison, Jennings and Lawrence counties. One correspondent, each in Harrison, Morgan and Cuss counties states that further trial of winter oats is necessary to determine their adaptability. One correspondent, each, in Ripley, Jackson and Tippecanoe counties answers the question with a “no.” One correspondent, each in Gibson, Switzerland, White, Randolph, Noble and DeKalb counties, is unable to learn that the winter oats are grown in the county.

One correspondent, each, in Posey and Putnam counties states that winter oats have been tried in a small way without favorable results. Judging from the replies received, winter oats are not a reliable crop even in southern Indiana. In all parts of the state where spring oats can be grown successfully, it will be less risk" to grow them. This is especially true of the north half of the state. Winter oats “killed out” completely at the Experiment Station in the winter of 1894-5. The winter of 1895-6 so seriously damaged the crop that the yields on two plats were only 28 and 37 bushels respectively. Spring oats in the same field yielded 47 to 80 bushels to the acre. Where spring oats is an anprofitable crop, it will doubtless be well to give winter oats a further trial in the hope of developing yreater hardiness. An acre or two will be quite enough for this purpose- Early sowing is advised both for pasture and to enable the crop to pass the winter more successfully. Fanners are cautioned to carefully clean the oats before sowing, to remove any weed seed that they may contain. i W. C. La'Ata, Agriculturist,