CHAPTEE XV. 

 OATS 



History. — The original wild form of the cultivated oat is 

 not definitely known, although it is believed to have existed in 

 Western Asia and Eastern Europe. Eecords show that the 

 Egyptians, Greeks and Hebrews were not as familiar with oats 

 as they were with barley and wheat. The crop seems to have 

 been first cultivated in Central Europe. The hulless oat is 

 known to have been grown in China 618 to 900 A.D. 



"It is probable that oats were first used for feeding 

 animals and that their use as human food was confined to times 

 when other grain or food was scarce. Its general use as a fojd 

 for man is evidently of recent origin and is due to the develop- 

 ment of milling machinery. Naturally the people of early 

 times used as a food those grains which could be prepared most 

 easily. For this reason wheat and rye, which thresh clean and 

 contain gluten, were used instead of oats, which usually remain 

 in the hull." 



Production. 



Europe 



North America 



Asia 



South America 

 Australasia 

 Africa 



Average in bushels 

 for 3 years, 1912-U. 



2,655,519,000 



1,596,864,000 



126,361,000 



70,767,666 



27,285,666 



25,398,666 



In importance, oats ranks fourth of the world's crops, 

 being exceeded by potatoes, maize and wheat. The world's 

 production in this, as in other crops, shows a gradual but 

 marked increase. 



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