GRAIN CROPS 



OATS 



PRODUCTION 



Importance. — The importance of oats in the United 

 States is shown by the fact that about one biUion bushels 

 are grown each year. The important oat-producing states 

 are in the central west, with Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, 

 Minnesota and Nebraska leading. Oats are commonly 

 grown throughout the world, and in the same countries 

 that produce wheat. The United States, Russia, Germany, 

 France and Canada are the principal oat-producing countries. 

 In 1914 there were raised in the United States, 1,141,- 

 060,000 bushels, valued at $499,431,000. The acreage was 

 38,442,000. Iowa and Illinois lead all the states in the pro- 

 duction of oats. The average yield per acre for the United 

 States is 31.2 bushels. The annual world production is 

 about 4,500,000,000 bushels. 



Kinds. — There are winter and spring oats. Hulled, or 

 common, oats is either ''side" or ''spreading" as its branches 

 are about even and turn to one side or are of different lengths 



and stand out at various 

 angles. Again, oats may be 

 divided according to the color 

 of the hull. Most of the oats 

 grown in the United States is 

 of the spring variety. 



Soil for Oats. — Oats, like 

 wheat, do well on a variety of 

 soils. That one, however, 

 which permits early seeding 

 and germination is likely to 

 mature its crop early. Oats 

 needs an abundance of mois- 

 ture. Loams and clay loams, 

 therefore, furnish a good bed. 

 It should be just fairly fertile. 

 If .too rich, m the presence of 

 well capped. plentiful moisture weak stems 



and diseases are likely to occur. Oats thrives on cool soil 

 and in cool climates. 



Figure 19. A good aheaf of oats 



