206 



ECONOMIC PLANTS 



seed were used. Others claim that grain should be sown thick enough 

 to prevent stooling, so that the nourishment from each kernel may be 

 sent into a single culm, thus making a more vigorous plant. 



Varieties and Yields. --There are two common 



species of oats, one 

 with branches on all 

 sides of the stem, open 

 and spreading, our 

 common oats, and the 

 other with branches on 

 one side only, called 

 side oats, or horse mane 

 oats. Of the first kind, 

 the white varieties are 

 the most cultivated. 



Thirty-two pounds 

 of oats is considered a 

 bushel, approximately 

 one fourth of which is 

 hulls and three fourths 

 kernel. In the cooler 

 portions of the temper- 

 ate zones oats often 

 weigh as high as 45 to 

 50 pounds to the meas- 

 ured bushel. For ex- 

 hibition purposes oats 

 arc frequently clipped or rubbed, depriving them of the 

 end of the hull surrounding the kernels. This removes 

 the lighter part of the oats and increases the weight 

 per bushel. It is customary for judges to throw out 

 from competition at once samples of oats that have 

 been clipped or rubbed too much. 



FIG. 106. Two Types of Oat Panicles. 

 a, the open, or spreading; b, the side, or horse mane. 



