LESSON XXV 

 OATS 



Two uses. The oat is a cereal grass that is grown 

 for grain or hay. If it is raised for the grain, it is 

 harvested and threshed like wheat. If the crop is to 

 be used as hay, it is cut while green and harvested like 

 the common hay crops. Oat hay is more nutritious 

 than timothy hay. 



Manner of growth. The seeds are borne at the 

 top of the stem in a spray or panicle somewhat like rice. 



The plants branch 

 or tiller at the bot- 

 tom like wheat, pro- 

 ducing many stems 

 from a single seed. 

 Nearly all kinds of 

 oats that are com- 

 monly grown have 

 the kernels tightly 

 inclosed in the 



OATS IN SHOCK .. , 



hulls. There are 



hull-less oats which shell out when they are threshed. 

 The two great classes of oats are the bush or spreading 

 oats, and the side or mane oats. In the bush oats the 



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