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 Eiver 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, 1906-1910, is shown by the following table, as reported by 

 the 1910 Yearbook, United States Department of Agriculture: 



Continent Bushels 



Europe 2,475,031,000 



North America 1,227,061,400 



86,226,600 



27,954,000 



Asia 



Australasia 

 Africa .... 



17,835,000 



Total 3,834,108,000 



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

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

 Seven Countries Leading in Oat Production 



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

 It will be noted with interest that in every case the yield per acre 



1 Austria only for 1890-1890. 

 'Canada, 1906-1910 only. 



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