GRAIN AND ITS CULTIVATION. 125 



and when lodged, with the scythe ; but when erect and of 

 medium height, with the cradle, which is by far the most 

 speedy and economical, and this leaves them in a suitable 

 position for binding into sheaves. They may be stacked 

 like wheat. 



THE USES of oats are various and differ materially in dif- 

 ferent countries. In Scotland, Ireland, and many other 

 countries, oat meal is much used as human food and for this 

 the potato oat, or some one of the heavy kinds is preferred, 

 as they afford a larger proportion of meal and less of husk. 

 Scotland, " the land o' cakes " draws no inconsiderable part 

 of the support of her entire laboring population from this 

 meal, which is formed into small thin cakes and eaten with 

 milk, butter, &c., or it is mixed with water or milk and made 

 into a kind of pudding under the name of stirabout^ a favorite 

 dish, which is said to be palatable to those accustomed to it. 



Davy found in 1000 parts of Scotch oats, 743 of soluble 

 or nutritive matter, containing 641 of mucilage or starch, 

 15 saccharine matter, and 87 gluten or albumen. Those 

 of England, gave 59 of starch, 6 of gluten, 2 of saccharine 

 matter, and 33 of husk in 100 parts. They are but little 

 used for human food in this country, and this is principally 

 by emigrants who bring their early habits with them. They 

 are prepared by kiln-drying and hulling, then grinding and 

 bolting when required to separate the flour. The meal is 

 scalded before using and mixed with about half its weight 

 of wheat flour when made into bread. It is sold by the 

 apothecaries to invalids for whom it is valuable on account 

 of its light, digestible character. It is also stirred into 

 water, making an excellent beverage for laborers in hot 

 weather. The principal use of oats however, in the United 

 States, is as food for working animals, for which it is unri- 

 valled. Oats are sometimes used when ground, for fattening 

 cattle, sheep and swine, but for this purpose they are far 

 surpassed by corn, barley, peas or boiled potates. They are 

 an excellent fodder for stock sheep and for them are most 

 economically fed in the straw. 



INDIAN CORN, (Zea maize). 



This next to the grasses, is by far the most important crop 

 of the United States. The census returns for 1840, gave 

 387,000,000 bushels ; and for 1843 the estimate of the 

 whole product of Indian corn in this country was over 494 r 

 000,000 bushels. The effect of this immense production of 



