Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-15
King of Grain Crops
Bv Frederic L Haskin

the literature of China, India or any
other part of southern Asia. Some
think it originated in Persia or Meso-
potamia, where it was found growing
as volunteer crop on the banks OF
the Euphrates. 1t is not mentioned In
the Bible, though barley and wheat
are.
Though the word corn" is seldom
used as meaning oats, it is applied to
nearly all of the other grain crops of
the world In America 1t means
maize, to the Scotch 1t means oats, to
the Englishman wheat, and to the
Scandinavia a corn field" means a
field OF rye. Corn" is word that
applied to all grain crops, but it Is
used usually by q people to designate
their principal crop. The Englishman
would no more think of t..lling maize
corn than the American would think
of speaking of wheat as corn. When
the Savior spoke OF the corn of wheat
he meant the same that we mean by
head OF wheat" and the Englishman
an ear of wheat"
To Scotland the world owes its first
acquaintance with oats as food for
the human race. In generations gone
by thousands Of people lived for years
with oats and milk as the principal
articles of diet. AS rice converts the
Japanese into fighting machines with
an endurance far beyond that of the
European and American meat eater,
so oats produces a race of strong peo-
pie able to endure much, and gives
point to the declaration of the Scot
that England is famous for its horses
and Scotland for its men.
The tables of the worlds production
of oats and other grains reveal some
NVoFHarftt11Ny I'M m cGiUa and significant
facts. Europe and North America, with
a land area only one-fourth as great
as the remaining continents, produce
four times as many bushels of grain,
including rice, as all the other con-
tinents together Reckoning on the
basis of population 1t will be found
that one-fifth of the human race grows
four-fifths Of the cereal crops of the
world. Europe and North America
grow 12,00O 900, 900 out of the 15,O00,OO0,-
600 bushels that represent normal
world crop of gathered grain; of which
crop oats constitutes nearly "a per
cent. 1t is difficult for the human mind
to conceive the immensity of this yield
OF grain. 1t would I'LL a bin mile
long and mile wide, with q height
of about 43O feet, or hundred average
city blocks piled over 400 feet high.
varieties of oats grown in America.
That the yield may be increased TO a
remarkable extent by the selection of
seed is shown by the experiments of
Professor ZavitZ, of the Ontario agri-
cultural college. one part of a plat of
ground was sowed with oats, each
grain of which was selected by hand,
and only the plumpest chosen. From
these seeds he gathered a harvest of
oats which showed a yield OF seventy
seven bushels to the acre. Using light
grains for seed on the other part of
the plat he found that the yield was
ffty-eight bushels per acre. lie be-
lieves that the average farmer can, by
selecting his seed, increase his yield at
least 10 per cent. This would he con-
cludes, mean a gain of perhaps $50,000,-
900 on the American crop.
The department of agriculture has
been interested In the introduction of
new varieties of oats from Europe. One
OF them is the slxty-day variety, which
Is supposed to reach maturity in that
length of time. The Swedish Select and
the Tobsk are two other varieties which
have demonstrated their great advan-
tage over many of the home varieties.
Smut is the worst enemy of the oat
crop. and the plant disease experts
900 a year. 1t is also a serious disease
600 year. 1t is also erious disease
of wheat, the annual damage bill be-
ing placed at S14,000.000. These experts
estimate that plant diseases as a whole
cost the people of the United States
hundreds of millions of dollars.
The department of agriculture Is not
a very enthusiastic friend of king
oats as a profitable crop. Professor
w. J. Spillman, agriculturist in charge
Of farm management investigations,
notes in recent report to the secre-
tary. that oats acreage shows a ten
dency to fall Off in many states.
TOmOrrOw--SOcial seientlsts' Meeting