S. H. Collins and B. Thomas 285 



The District in which Oats are groimi and the amount of Si i gar 

 in the Straw. 



Seasonal influences play such a great part in sugar production and 

 content that 1920 and 19"21 do not give the same relationships. 



In 1920, Cumberland and Westmorland headed the list and Northum- 

 berland and Durham were only a little behind the four northern counties, 

 giving total sugar 4-48 % ± -29 with the rest of Great Britain at 

 1'69 % ± -12. In 1921 however the southern counties gave 4-76 % ± -34 

 and the four northern counties 1-80 % ± -15 the average of all except 

 the southern counties being 1-44 % ± -10. From these results it is 

 clear that the southern counties made good use of the dry season of 

 1921. 



As in former years samples of oat straw which contain much total 

 sugar also contain much laevulose, so that the laevulose varies from 

 50 to 70 per cent, of the total sugar, but when the total sugar is low in 

 amount laevulose is often absent. On the average of all results, poor 

 and rich, the laevulose is a little under 50 per cent, of the total but even 

 then it is the commonest sugar, since the remainder is divided between 

 cane sugar and dextrose and perhaps traces ot other sugars. 



General Conclusions. 



Fine weather during harvest appears essential for obtaining high 

 percentages of sugar. Sugar gradually disappears from straw after 

 harvest. When straw is very dry the loss is small, but if damp, sugar 

 is readily lost. Under average practical conditions high sugar content 

 is not common but, under careful management, oat straw six months 

 old has given very high figures for sugar. Roiighly it might be said 

 that the more nitrogen a soil contains the more albuminoids there will 

 be in the straw, but much will depend on the amount of grain produced. 



The general impression obtained during the course of these investi- 

 gations is that the reason why feeding oat .straw and swedes is so suc- 

 cessful in one district and not in another may be summed up in the 

 phrase "good husbandry." AVhen a farmer understands and is keen 

 on cattle he obtains more dung, which gives him better quality straw 

 and roots. Feeding these again skilfully to more beasts gives hnn still 

 more and still richer dung until in the limit of practice he is able to feed 

 beasts almost entirely on straw and roots because both are rich in 

 albuminoids. The lowest figure for albuminoids is 1-12 per cent, and the 

 highest 8-05 per cent. ; a variation more than enough to explain any 



