148 



Effective Farming 



69. Kinds of oats. Oats are classified as spreading and 

 side oats. In the former the branches bearing the spikelets 

 are distributed on all sides of the stem ; in the latter the branches 

 are all on one side (Fig. 55). Oats are grouped as winter and 



as spring, depend- 

 ing on the time of 

 year grown. They 

 are also classified 

 as early and as late 

 varieties, according 

 to the length of time 

 they require for de- 

 velopment, not ac- 

 cording to the time 

 they are planted. 

 The usual variation 

 of the growing sea- 

 son ranges from 90 

 to 120 days. As to 

 color, oats are classi- 

 fied as white, black, 

 red, yellow, and 

 gray. 



70. Uses of oats. 

 - The grain is par- 

 ticularly useful for 

 horses and is also 

 fed to some extent 

 to sheep, cows, and 



FIG. 55. Spreading oats and side oats. 



hogs. The straw makes good roughage and bedding for live-stock. 

 The plants are sometimes cut for hay and when grown with field 

 peas are good for soiling purposes. Oats make a satisfactory 

 temporary pasture. In the form of rolled oats, the grain is used 

 extensively for human food. The .best grades only are desirable 

 for this purpose and such grades bring a good price on the market. 



