94 THE SMALL GRAINS 



varieties, for it is only slightly winter hardy. It is grown 

 as a winter crop in such areas as the Mediterranean region 

 and the southern states of this country. On the other 

 hand, it has obtained no footing in any strictly tropical 

 climate. 



In Finland, oats is regularly cultivated beyond the Arctic 

 Circle, and extreme points of its cultivation reach almost 

 to the 68th parallel. It is the most common cereal in 

 Norway, where it reaches its highest latitude, 69 28'. 

 In Alaska, oats has matured for several years at Rampart, 

 latitude 65 30'. Certain varieties matured there in 

 less than 90 days. Bonanza oats has matured at Ft. 

 Providence on the Mackenzie River, latitude 60 11' . In 

 various descriptions of crops of oriental countries, wheat 

 and barley are mentioned much more often than oats. 

 Going westward in China from Kwei Yang, it is said 

 that oats and buckwheat do not appear until the Yunnan 

 boundary is reached, but oats is common in Yunnan 

 and Szechuen. No doubt there are many forms of the 

 hulless and side oats, at high elevations, and on the 

 plateaus, in western China, Tibet, and Turkestan that 

 are not yet well known. The same thing may be true of 

 forms of the sterilis and other species in northern Africa 

 and in Abyssinia. Hulless oats grow at high altitudes 

 near Issyk Kul, in Turkestan, and both hulless and side 

 oats seem to be common in Transbaikal. Avena chinensis, 

 Fisch., a hulless oat, occurs in the Peking mountains 

 and in Mongolia. Rockhill found oats at Gartok on 

 the eastern border of Tibet, but supposed it was wild. 

 It is said to be unknown in the greater part of Africa, but 

 is grown sparingly in extreme North Africa and South 

 Africa and Abyssinia. On the other hand, wild forms are 

 common in Abyssinia. 



