MANUAL FOR STABLE SERGEANTS. 65 



The husk is thinner in white oats than in the red and black varieties. 

 The short plump oat is a hea\'y one, while the longer and more 

 bearded the oat, the lighter it is. 



176. Weight of oats. — The legal weight of a bushel of oats is 

 32 pounds, but northern oats often weigh as much as 45 pounds to 

 the bushel. 



177. Feeding oats. — Oats are fed whole, it being only necessary 

 to grind, crush, or steam them for animals with poor teeth. 



178. Characteristics of oats. — Oats should be short and plump, 

 of good color, hard to the feel, rattling when poured out on a solid 

 surface, without smell, breaking across when bitten, and haA'ing 

 the taste of good oatmeal. They should also be free from dirt, 

 stalks, stems, and seeds of other plants. 



179. Defects in oats. — Oats may be clipped, foxy, bleached or 

 sulphured, damp, sprouting, musty, or moldy. All defective grain 

 should be put aside and reported at once. 



180. Clipped oats. — Clipped oats are oats from which the beards 

 have been removed by passing them over a revoUdng screen. This 

 process produces a shorter, plumper looking grain, which packs 

 better and weighs more to the bushel. The cut ends may be seen, 

 and if the hand is put deep into the sack the clipped beards may be 

 found adhering to it on removal. If such oats are clean and sound, 

 the process does not detract from their value as a food. 



181. Foxy oats. — A\Tien oats are stored before they are suffi- 

 ciently dried, they become heated, their color is changed to a 

 deep yellow or brown, both the husk and the kernel, and they 

 acquire a peculiar bitter odor and taste. Such oats are termed 

 foxy. They are unfit for food. 



182. Bleached or sulphured oats. — Foxy oats are sometimes 

 bleached with the fumes of sulphur to destroy their color and smell, 

 but the process does not remove the stain or bitter taste from the 

 kernel. To detect this fraud, rub a small quantity of the suspected 

 oats between the palms of the hands until they become warm, 

 or heat over a fire; when warmed they give off the characteristic 

 odor of sulphur. Such oats are not fit to use. 



183. Damp oats. — ^\llen oats have been wet and sufficient time 

 has not elapsed to allow of their heating and spoiling, they may be 

 fed, even though soft. 



184. Sprouting oats. — Such oats are unfit for food. 



185. Musty oats. — Mustiness is a condition resulting from 

 dampness. Musty oats are easily recognized by their softened. 



