OATS. 173 



they grow the best of horses in England and the best 

 of men in Scotland." 



The quality of oats depends principally upon the 

 proportion of hull to kernel. The per cent of hull 

 will vary in different varieties from at least 20 to 45 

 per cent. The per cent of hull will depend both upon 

 the variety and upon the conditions of growth. 

 American varieties contain'on an average about 30 per 

 cent of hull and 70 per cent of kernel. About 50 

 pounds of oatmeal are made from 100 pounds of oats. 



While at first thought it is a matter of some sur- 

 prise, it has been pretty satisfactorily demonstrated 

 that those varieties with long, slender, light berries 

 and light weight per bushel contain an appreciably 

 larger per cent of kernel than those varieties with 

 short, plump, heavy berries and heavy weight per 

 bushel. In other words, those varieties which sell 

 best on the market or take the premiums at exhibi- 

 tions have the least food value. 



Oats may vary in weight from 25 to 50 pounds per 

 bushel, the lighter weights being found in the more 

 southern climates. Ki chard son found the average 

 weight per bushel of 166 varieties gathered from the 

 various sections of the United States to be 37 pounds. 



Climate, — Oats are naturally adapted to a cooler 

 climate than wheat, barley or corn. The climate 

 needs to be both cool and moist. Oats grow fairly 

 well in the south, where, while warm, it is moist, but 

 in California, where both warm and dry, oats do 

 poorly. Oats grow to perfection in the cool, moist 

 climate of Scotland, Norway and Sweden. It is 

 from these countries that we get our new varieties as 

 a rule. It is on account of the adaptability of the 



