CHAPTER XX 

 OATS 



OATS are the fourth crop of importance in the world, being ex- 

 ceeded by potatoes, corn, and wheat. (See charts, Chapter I.) In 

 the United States it is the third cereal, being exceeded by corn and 

 wheat. Oats are a northern grown crop adapted to humid regions. 

 East of the Mississippi River and north of the Ohio, oats outrank 

 wheat in value, and in several of the Northern Tier outrank both 

 corn and wheat. 



Production of Oats. The oat crop of the world for the 5-year 

 period, 1909-1913, is shown by the following table, as reported by 

 the 1920 Yearbook, United States Department of Agriculture: 



Continent Bushels 



Europe 2,636,321,000 



North America 1,498,870,000 



87,403,000 



55,886,000 



28,515,000 



24,480,000 



Total 4,331,904,000 



The principal oat-producing countries (Fig. 51), together with 

 the average yield per acre for two periods, is shown in the next table : 

 Seven Countries Leading in Oat Production 



Asia 

 South America 

 Australasia . . 

 Africa . 



The seven countries produce about 'four-fifths of the world's crop. 



are for 1909-1913; not included in the total. 

 'Former Russian Poland, western Galicia and Posen. 



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