Oats and Rust
Is there any variety of oats that is rust-proof, or any method of
treating oats that will render them rust resistant? We are situated on a
mountain, only about 12 miles from the coast, and have considerable
foggy weather, which most of the farmers here say is the cause of the
rust.
There is no way of treating oats which will prevent smut, if the variety
is liable to it. There is a great difference in the resistance of
different varieties. A few dark-colored oats are practically rust-proof,
and you can get seed of them from the seedsmen in San Francisco and Los
Angeles. Such varieties are chiefly grown on the southern coast. Foggy
weather has much to do with the rust, because it causes atmospheric
moisture which is favorable to the growth of the fungus, which is
usually checked by dry heat, and yet there are atmospheric conditions
occasionally which favor the rust even in the driest parts of the State.
The fog favors rust, but does not cause it. The cause is a fungus, long
ago thoroughly understood and named puccinia graminis.
Midsummer Hay Sowing.
Can I sow oats or barley in July upon irrigated mesa land, with the
object of making hay in the fall? Which of the two would do the better
in summer time? I have plenty of water.
We have never seen this done to advantage. If you desire to try it,
irrigate thoroughly and plow and sow afterward.
Pages:
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199