206 FIELD CROPS 



other stock, oats are commonly mixed with corn if used at 

 all. They are an excellent grain for dairy cattle and sheep. 

 The hulls make them objectionable for feeding to hogs, 

 because the small stomachs of these animals are not able to 

 hold enough of this grain to allow them to utilize it to 

 advantage. Ground oats mixed with swill make an excellent 

 mash to feed to brood sows, however, and are highly recom- 

 mended by hog raisers. 



In feeding value, oats compare very favorably with wheat, 

 in spite of the fact that they contain a much larger pro- 

 portion of crude fiber (the hull). In protein content they are 

 slightly lower than wheat but higher than barley or corn, con- 

 taining 9.2 pounds to 100 pounds of dry matter. They are 

 rather low in carbohydrates, 47.3 pounds in 100, as com- 

 pared with 65 to 69 in the other grains; but contain as much 

 fat as corn, 4.2 pounds, and more than double the quantity 

 found in wheat or barley. Oats are a muscle-building rather 

 than a fattening feed, and are more valuable for animals at 

 hard work, like horses or dairy cows, than for fattening 

 animals, like beef cattle. On account of the mineral matter 

 they contain, which is largely utilized by animals in the for- 

 mation of bones, as well as the protein, which is the muscle- 

 building element, oats are an excellent feed for young and 

 growing animals of all kinds. They are largely used by 

 poultry raisers, particularly for feeding to flocks which are 

 kept for egg production. 



249. Use as Human Food. Oats have long been used 

 as food in Scotland, but have only recently come into com- 

 mon use in other countries. In Scotland, oats are generally 

 used as groats (the hulled grain soaked and eaten raw, or 

 cooked in the form of mush or of thin cakes) rather than in 

 the form of flakes or rolled oats so common in this country. 

 Oatmeal when properly cooked is the best and cheapest of 



