Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1923-07-12
Trucks Reducing
Demand for Oats
Not Considered Cash Crop
and Are Grown Largely to
Fill Out Rotation.
prepared by the United States Department
Of Agriculture.l

prepared by the United States Department
of Agricultural
1t is probable that the production Of
oats in the United States has reached
its highest point and the acreage of
this crop may be somewhat reduced
during the present decade. Thus, the
discussion of the situation and out
look Of the oat crop in the United
States is summed up in the 1922 Year
book just published by the United
States Department of Agriculture.
The rapidly increasing use of motor
lied transfer and trucking in both
the city and country are markedly
reducing the commercial demand for
feeding oats, and the quantity of oats
required for horse feed on the farm
may be slightly reduced by the use
of farm tractors. Notwithstanding the
rapid development of the farm trac-
tor, most Of the farms of the United
States will continue to be titled wholly
or in large part by the use of horses
and oats will continue to be in demand
as one of the principal horse feeds.
Certain industries will continue to use
horses rather than trucks and these
will supply some market demand.
Used for Human Food.
In addition, considerable quantities
Of oats are used each gear for human
food in the making of prepared live
stock and poultry feeds and for ex-
port. Oats usually are not consid-
cred cash crop but are important be-
cause of the rather unique place they
occupy in the scheme of farming in
some parts of the United States While
they are valuable as a feed for horses,
young stock and breeding animals,
they are grown largely to complete
the rotation system in which corn,
wheat and hay crops are grown. There
is no other crop that fits in as well as
do oats between corn and wheat or
corn and grass, utilizing land and
labor that might otherwise be unpro-
ductive In some sections barley and
soy beans may be substituted with
good results, but under most condi-
lions these crops have certain disad-
vantages that still make oats the most
satisfactory intermediate crop.
Crop Is Important.
Economy of labor in the production
of oats also is important Usually no
blowing ip necessary in preparing the
seed bed, particularly where the crop
follows corn While oats rank fifth
among all crops in total cash value,
and further increase in acreage Is
problemattcal, the crop is nevertheless
important because of its place in the
general farming system.
While oats are grown to a great ex-
tent in western Europe, Russia and
other countries, the United States
leads in total production with slightly
more than one-fourth of the world
crop. Russia, according to the aver
age production for the fve-ye1r period
ending In 1914, was very close Sec
ond, with "a per cent Of the total.
Other countries of large production
were Germany, Canada, France, Aus
tria-Kungary and the United Kingdom,
In tho order named.
During the twenty-year prewar pc
Rod from 1895 to 1914, inclusive, the
annual production of oats in the
United States averaged, in round num-
bers, 9e9, 100000 bushels, in Russia
eO1, 0O0, 600, in Germany 5230o0,0O0, in
France 317 100000. in Austria-Hungary
221, 100000, and in the United King
dom 176,OO0,O00 bushels.
Oats enter much less intozcommerce
than wheat, because they are too bulky
in relation to the price to bear the
I cost of long-distance transportation.
Therefore the greater portion of the
crop always is consumed in the cou1-
try in which It is produced.
The oat crop is not as important
commercially as wheat and corn. Ac-
cording to the census data, slightly
less than third of the national pro-
duction of oats in 1919 was sold off
the farm by farmers. Farm consump-
ton apparently absorbed the remain
der of the crop. OF the part sold by
farmers larger proportion goes to
terminal markets than in the case OF
corn, much of which is sold by one
farmer to another for feeding and
thus never reaches the terminals.