OATS . 277 



Nearly three-fourths of the total nitrogen and two- 

 thirds of the phosphoric acid are present in the grain, 

 whereas the straw contains approximately three-fourths 

 of the potash. 



VARIETIES OF OATS 



In the United States, satisfactory results have been 

 obtained from considerably more than ^ hundred varieties 

 of oats. Not more than six or eight of these are adapted 

 to the cotton-belt. 



335. Classification. — Oat varieties may be divided 

 into several classes, depending on the basis of classifica- 

 tion. As regards time of seeding there are spring and 

 winter varieties, the winter oats being seeded in the fall. 

 From the standpoint of the shape of the panicle there 

 are two main classes. The^e are "spreading oats'' in 

 which the branches of the panicle extend in all directions 

 from the rachis, and "side oats" in which the branches 

 all hang to one side of the rachis. Varieties may be further 

 subdivided as regards color of grain into white, yellow, red, 

 gray and black oats, or a^ regards the shape of grain into 

 varieties with short, plump grains and those having long 

 slender grains. There is also a class of oat varieties called 

 hull-less oats in which the flowering glume and palea are 

 removed in threshing. 



In the cotton-belt the yarieties used are mostly winter 

 oats with spreading panicles, and of red or gray color. 

 The white and black varieties of both spreading or side 

 oats are usually found in northern regions. 



336. Varieties grown in the cotton-belt. — The varie- 

 ties of oats grown in the cotton-belt belong to one of the 

 following types: (1) Red Rust-proof, to which belong the 

 strains Appier, Red Rust-proof, Bancroft, Culberson, 



