27 



by fertilizers. In the East this is already done, but in the West it 

 seems that nothing but experience of wasting fertility will teach the 

 lesson. 



OATS. 



Oats, the third in importance of oar cereal crops, as far as production 

 is concerned, are grown under as varied conditions as any of them and 

 are as a crop the most variable in their appearance. 



They will grow and can be made to pa} 7 on almost any soil, and, al- 

 though flourishing in cold climates, can be successfully raised in the far 

 South by sowing as a winter grain and so reaching maturity in the cool 

 part of the year. 



In consequence of these variations in the conditions of growth there 

 are to be found the greatest differences in weight and size of the grain, 

 its plumpness, and the relative proportion of kernel and husk. De- 

 pendent on these differences many classifications have been proposed, 

 but as there seems to be a regular gradation from the one extreme of 

 the white potato oats to the other of red rust proof, there seems to be 

 no definite basis for varieties due to color, shape of the grain, or plump- 

 ness. Botanically, there seem to be three varieties recognized the 

 common Avena sativa L., and two others, A. orientals Schb., having the 

 kernels all on one side of the stem, and A. nuda L., to the grain of which 

 the husks or chaff are not adherent. 



For our consideration, from a chemical and physical point of view, 

 these distinctions are of small importance, as the same variations are 

 found among each species. 



To the farmer the most important characteristic, and the one by 

 which this grain is usually valued, is its weight per bushel. In close 

 relation to this is the proportion of kernel to husk a point which has 

 been little, if at all, investigated. In the specimens which have been 

 collected from the most prominent regions where oats are grown these 

 characteristics have been determined, as well as the size and weight of 

 the kernels, with the purpose of studying not only the way in which 

 they are affected by surrounding causes, but also their relation to the 

 composition of the grain. 



The sources of the specimens examined, their color and shape, and 

 other physical characteristics are here presented. 



