CROPS 



123 



Oats are remarkable for the high proportion of fat and ash 

 which they contain. They also contain some constituent 

 capable of exerting a stimulating action upon horses. This 

 substance has been termed " aveiiin." 



Oats in England are usually grown for seed, though occa- 

 sionally for fodder, especially if mixed with tares. But in 

 America and in South Africa enormous quantities are grown 

 as forage, partly to be eaten green, but mainly to be made into 

 oat hay. This product, which in some districts is the staple 

 food of horses, mules, (kc, should be made by cutting the oats 

 while still green and drying them in the sun. If allowed to 

 ripen before cutting, the grain robs the straw of most of its 

 nutritive propertie?, and the resulting hay is neither so palat- 

 able nor so digestible. 



Oat straw, even when the grain has fully ripened, is more 

 suitable for feeding purposes than wheat or even barley straw. 



Average Composition of Oats, Oat Fodder, Oat Straw 

 AND Oat Hay. 



Rye {Secale cereale) resembles wheat in many respects. In 

 England rye is usually grown as a green crop for spring feed- 



• Mean of several analyses of South African products. As the sole 

 food of horses or mules, oat hay is too rich in phosphoric acid and too 

 poor in lime for the healthy nutrition of the bones. Where it is used 

 as the exclusive food a disease known as osteoporosis is often pre- 

 valent. 



