Avena

(ah-ve'nah.) (Bot. and Agric.) The Oat, a gen. of corn-bearing plants, O. Gram in a cee. The common Oat (A. sativa) is a tall annual, characterized by a loose, compound, equal panicle, and two-flowered spikelets.It is the hardiest of all the cereal gra es, growing luxuriantly in cold northern climates, and in mountainous districts, where neither wheat nor barley can be advantageously cultivated. Several varieties are cultivated. When the seed or grain only is meant, the word is commonly used in the plural, oats.- Oatmeal forms a considerable article of food for man in some countries; and oats are everywhere excellent food for horses and cattle. The produce of oats varies greatly not more than 20 bushels an acre are obtained from inferior ground, while 60, and even 80, have been produced from good ground. In 1870, the crop of oats in the U. States was 298,284,000 bushels, product of 9,101,440 acres; average value $0.631 / 3 per bushel. [s. 64]