OATS 89 



80. Leaves. Compared with wheat, the oat plant is 

 rather leafy. The leaves are J to 1J inches wide, and 

 are wider on an average than in the common wheat 

 varieties. In the seedling stage, the leaves of winter oats 



FIG. 27. Plant of Winter oats in early fall condition. 



are narrower and usually darker green than in the spring 

 varieties, and in the former they at once spread out on 

 the ground instead of assuming an erect habit. There 

 are no auricles at the junction of blade and sheath, which 

 fact serves to distinguish young oat plants from those 

 of other cereals. The under leaf margins bear scatter- 



