274 FIELD CROPS FOR THE COTTON-BELT 



330. The panicle. The flowers and later the grain 

 of oats are borne at the top of the plant on small branches. 

 These branches, which extend in all directions, are arranged 

 in whorls at intervals along the central rachis or flower- 

 stem. There are from three to five of these whorls, the 

 branches varying somewhat in length and position. The 

 entire seed-bearing part is called a panicle. Depending 

 on the arrangement of the branches the panicles may be 

 symmetrical or one-sided, closed or open. It varies in 

 length from eight to twelve inches and bears from fifty to 

 eighty spikelets. 



331. The spikelets. The oat bears its flowers in 

 clusters of two or more, each cluster being subtended by 

 a common pair of glumes (the outer glumes), and the 

 whole attached to the branch by means of a flexible ped- 

 icel of variable length. Each cluster including the glumes 

 and pedicel comprises a spikelet. It is seldom that more 

 than two flowers in each spikelet mature, and as the lower 

 one develops into the larger grain, the result is a pair of 

 grains of unequal size, often spoken of as "twin grains." 

 Where only one grain develops in each spikelet, the oats 

 are known as "single " oats. Inside of the large membra- 

 nous outer glumes are the flowering glumes, one for each 

 flower. Within each flowering glume, and between it 

 and the flower or kernel is a small thin bract called the 

 palea. Before fertilization and the development of the 

 kernel the organs of reproduction are really inclosed within 

 the flowering glume and palea. They consist of three 

 anthers borne on as many filaments which are closely 

 set about the ovary, and which grow very rapidly, thus 

 pushing themselves outside the palea. The ovary bears 

 two feathery stigmas which spread out as the flower 

 develops. 



