THE OAT CROP. 



116 



REMARKS UPON THE OAT CROP. 



The oat crop is very properly regarded, in all the temperate and more northerly coun- 

 tries, as one of the most important. In some it is highly esteemed in domestic life as a 

 grain for bread, and everywhere as one of the best kinds for cattle. Hence it is exten- 

 sively cultivated : it therefore becomes proper to make a few inquiries as to its exhausting 

 powers upon the soil, and as to the grounds upon which its reputation rests as an article of 

 food for man and beast. 



The weight of this grain varies from thirty to thirty-four pounds per bushel, and a fair 

 crop will not vary much from fifty bushels to the acre. Premium crops have been given, 

 amounting from eighty-five to ninety bushels per acre. From these data, we may deter- 

 mine the amount of mineral matter removed from the soil in a given crop of oats. The 

 per centum of mineral or inorganic matter will be as follows, taking 5 '25 as the average 

 per centum of the ash. Hence there will be removed 



Silica or silicic acid 



Phosphates 



Carbonate of lime 



Magnesia 



Potash - 



Soda 



Chlorine - 



Sulphuric acid - 



Phosphates of potash and soda 



For the foregoing calculation, I have taken the analysis of the a^h of the oat of the 

 middle acre (p. 107) . Each analysis will give a result diflfering somewhat from this ; but 

 this single calculation will be sufficient for our purpose, that is to show how much a givBn 

 crop will remove of these valuable substances from the soil. 



The oat crop, it will be seen, may be regarded as one of the exhausting crops. We are 

 not, however, prepared here to enter upon a comparison of this crop with those of the 

 other cereals, as this will necessarily come up for consideration after I have given the 

 analyses of the other grains. But I may now proceed to the important question. What 

 elements does the oat possess, which render it a valuable article of food ? 



It seems proper, in the first place, to state that the value of food, or of matters to support 

 and sustain life, do not depend upon any one single element. The idea that nitrogen is 

 the important one, is entirely fallacious. It is true that high authorities are wedded to the 

 notion that nitrogren is the body which sustains animal life. Hence when the quantity of 

 nitrogen has been determined, the substance has a station given it in the list of nutriments, 

 according to the amount of nitrogen it contains. It is, however, no more important than 

 starch, or any of the other respiratory products. I assume this position, because I believe 



