488 



OATS 



OATS 



longer straw than the Welcome oats. These 

 varieties take a little longer to mature than the 

 preceding. (3) The " Seizure" or third group con- 

 tains all the varieties of side oats, those having 

 closed panicles. These 

 take a still longer time 

 to mature. (4) In the 

 fourth or " mixed " group 

 are placed all varieties 

 about the classification of 

 which there is any doubt. 

 The varieties may be 

 subdivided as to color into 

 white, yellow, red, gray 

 and black oats. The white 

 and yellow oats are grown 

 most largely in the North 

 and are of the greatest 

 economic importance. The 

 red and gray varieties are 

 grown in the South, 

 largely for forage and 

 pasture and may be either 

 winter or spring oats. 

 Black oats are grown in 

 the North but are not con- 

 sidered to be so good as 

 the white oats. 



Relative values of different 



The character of the 



_ „,„ _ .. J. soil and climatic condi- 



Fie. 718. Spreading oats. ,. .,, , i j j. 



Poor head. Compare tions Will largely deter- 



with Fig. 717 for a lesson mine which of these varie- 



m seed selection. ,. i n i_ 



ties shall be grown m any 

 given locality. Experiments show that in general 

 there is no advantage in yield per acre of oats hav- 

 ing the open panicle over those having the closed 

 panicle. The latter varieties are hardier and are 

 undoubtedly better yielders where the growing 

 season is of sufficient length to allow them to 

 mature properly, but greater certainty of a crop 

 is assured through a series of years when the 

 open - panicled, earlier -maturing oats are grown. 

 It has also been found that there is no particular 

 difference in the yields of varieties having short, 

 plump grains and those having long, slender 



Fig. 719. Short, plump kernels of the medium-early varieties 

 of oats. Also illustrates "twin" oats. 



grains, nor is there any appreciable difference in 

 the weight per measured bushel. (Pigs. 719, 720.) 



The Illinois Station conducted a five-year test 

 with between thirty and sixty varieties, and came 



to the conclusion that the long, slender kernels 

 gave a higher percentage of grain to hull, while 

 the Ohio Station with seventy varieties one year 

 found that the short, plump grains gave the higher 

 percentage of grain to hull. 



Varieties with the long, slender kernels take 

 longer to mature and in a short season would not 

 fill well. This would result in a larger percentage 

 of hulls and a decrease in weight per measured 

 bushel. The varieties with short, plump grains are 

 early-maturing, and the grains will invariably be 

 well filled, consequently the percentage of hulls 

 will be less. However, in a season long enough to 

 allow the later varieties properly to mature the 

 grains would be well filled and the percentage of 

 hull would be less, so that in general this percent- 

 age will be affected more or less by the character 

 and length of the growing season. 



Probably a majority of the varieties grown in 

 the United States at the present time are those 

 having short, plump grains. While the yields are 

 not always greater, — in fact may in good seasons 

 be less, — they have the advantage of ripening early 

 enough to escape storms and rust, which often 

 come on a little before harvesting time and tend to 

 lessen the yields or in some cases utterly destroy 

 the crop. The average percentage of grain to hull 

 for American varieties is stated by Hunt in "The 

 Cereals in America" to be 70 per cent. 



Variety to sow. 



In choosing a variety to sow, the end in view is 

 to secure the highest possible yield of the best 



Fig. 720. Long, slender kernels found in the later-maturing 

 varieties of oats. Also illustrates "single" oats. 



grade of grain. To do this a variety must be 

 chosen that is suited to the local conditions. The 

 shorter the season the earlier-maturing must be 

 the vatiety. There are many well-tried varieties of 

 oats, and with a little care success may be had in 

 growing any of them. 



At the Ohio Station it was found that varieties 

 of the Welcome group, with short, plump kernels 

 and open panicle, gave the highest yields per 

 acre and the heaviest weight per measured bushel. 

 In a ten years' trial the following were found 

 to be the best varieties in the group, ranking 

 in the order named : American Banner, Improved 

 American, Colonel and Clydesdale. Of these, the 

 American Banner has been recommended by ten 

 experiment stations, which is more than can be said 

 of any other variety. Other highly recommended 

 varieties are the Swedish Select, White Bonanza, 

 Lincoln and Siberian. In Wisconsin, the Swedish 

 Select oats have averaged ten bushels more per 



