OATS: CULTIVATION AND TRADE. Oats are the principal cereal crop in Great Britain, their acreage in England and Wales exceeding that of wheat by one-fifth and in other parts of the kingdom by a still greater margin.
The oat is a comparatively hardy, robust plant and is adaptable to a wide range of soils. Although not immune to the effects of soil acidity, oats may be grown with success on land that is too sour for barley or wheat, and it is a common crop on peaty soils. The heaviest yields of grain are obtained either where the soil is moist, as in fen districts, or where the summer rainfall is ample, as in the western counties. Lack of moisture induces premature grain formation. Too much moisture, on the other hand, causes excessive growth of straw with a tendency to lodging and uneven or late ripening.
Although there are seven species in the genus Avena, all the varieties grown in Great Britain belong to the species sativa and its sub-species sativa orientalis, which comprises such sorts as Tartarians, whose panicle is one-sided instead of being open as in the main group. Hunter classifies the numerous varieties of open-headed oats in five groups:—I. Winter hardy oats (Grey Winter, Black Winter, etc.) ; 2. Semi-hardy sorts (Black Bell, Mogul, etc.) ; 3. Potato division (Potato, Sandy, etc.) ; 4. Abund ance division (Abundance, Victory, Golden Rain) ; and 5. Early ripeners (Aurora, Sixty Day, etc.).
Winter varieties are preferred to spring sorts in dry, warm localities, where frit fly is troublesome on oats sown after mid March; they also ripen early and favour autumn cleaning oper ations preparatory for root crops. Grey winters are somewhat hardier and are more suitable for poor soils than Blacks, but the latter are capable of higher yields on better land and are less liable to lodging. White winter oats are not sufficiently hardy to be con sidered a reliable winter-sowing sort, but they do very well for February and even January sowing.
Oats are very adaptable in the matter of crop sequence: they may follow any crop in the rotation, and are the favourite first crop on reclaimed or broken up grass land. The soil preparations for oats are of the simplest description : the land is ploughed about 5 in. deep some time during the winter, usually January, and nothing more is done until the soil is dry enough to receive the seed in spring. In humid districts, broadcasting is still common, but elsewhere the seed is usually drilled ; the seed is advisedly covered rather more deeply than other cereals, 2 in. to 3 in. being the proper depth. Thorough harrowing and, when the soil is dry enough, heavy rolling complete the cultivations for the crop. It is not customary to apply manure to the oat crop, except a little nitrogenous top dressing where the soil is poor.
Early sowing—March, or even February with hardy varieties— is desirable to avoid frit fly attack, but successful results may attend April sowing in more humid districts. Typically 170-200 lb. of seed are sown per acre, but with very large grained sorts or in hill farming, heavier seeding is believed to be beneficial. Winter oats are drilled at lighter rates, typically 120 lb. per acre, and October is the normal month for sowing.
Winter oats are generally ready for cutting in the latter half of July, and spring sown varieties about the second week in August. Owing to their tendency to shed grain, oats are advisedly cut rather before they would be dead ripe. Generally the crop is ready for stacking after ten days drying in stooks. The average yield per acre is 14 cwt. of grain and about 20-25 cwt. of straw.
Most of the oats grown in Great Britain are used on the farms for feeding to live stock, but of the 2 to 21 million tons produced annually about 600,000 to 650.000 tons are sold off the farms and are purchased mainly for feeding to town horses, poultry, etc., and for the making of oatmeal.
tons per annum, about 284,000 tons coming from foreign coun tries and 170,000 tons from Empire countries overseas. Much smaller quantities are now imported than formerly, the average annual imports in 1909-1913 being about 900,00o tons, and even in the seventies of the nineteenth century the average annual im ports were 600,000 tons. The reduction in imports as compared with the five years before the World War is wholly in imports from foreign countries, more being received from British coun tries. (J. R. B. ; H. C. L. ; X.) Cultivation in the United States.—Oats are grown to some extent in almost all parts of the United States, but principally in a belt extending westward from New York to North Dakota and south to the latitude of the mouth of the Ohio river. Most crops in the United States are spring-sown, fall sowing being practised only in the South. The date of fall seeding varies from Sept. 15 to Nov. 15, according to the locality, while the date of spring seeding varies from January to May, in like manner. Oats are seeded broadcast or with a grain drill, the latter method being preferable.
Oats are sometimes grown in combination with other crops for the production of hay or grain and are used as a nurse crop for clover and grass and as a cover crop in orchards. They are very useful likewise for clearing land of weeds. Oats are frequently grown in rotation with corn and grass or clover in the North, and with cotton and corn in the South. Where new land is being brought under cultivation, oats are usually grown on old land, corn, or sorghum, wheat or flax being more commonly grown on sod land.
Oats, as well as corn and wheat, moving into interstate merce, are subject to inspection by the Federal Government. For commercial purposes there are four classes, namely, white, red, grey and black oats. (0. C. S. ; X.)