496 



CULTIVATED AND WILD OATS 



of ' kernel.' They produce, however, a larger bulk of supenor 

 straw, are hardier and more suited to inferior soils than the 

 finer early varieties. On good soils too much straw is produced 

 and the crop is liable to become ' laid.' 



Race I. Common Oat {Avena sativa L.). • 



Fig. 157- — Panicle of Common Oat (Avena sativa L.). 



The following are a few of the commoner varieties of this race 

 usually met with in this country. 



(i.) Potato Oat. — An early and prolific variety with a somewhat 

 compact ear and pale yellow straw of medium length. The grain 

 is white, short and plump, and of excellent quality for millers ; 

 its flowering glumes rarely bear awns unless the stock is 

 degenerating. 



