Oat
or OATS (Avena), a genus of edible grasses cultivated extensively in all temperate climates, and though principally grown as food for horses largely used as human food. There are about 60 species, the principal of which are A. satīva (the common oat), A. nuda (naked oat, pilcorn, or peelcorn), A. orientalis (Tartarian or Hungarian oat), A. brevis (short oat), A. strigosa (bristle-pointed oat). A. chinensis (Chinese oat), etc.
The weight per bushel varies from 32 lbs. about half the weight of the oats. The wild oat (A. fatua) is supposed to be the original of all the species, but its native country is unknown. In the calendar year 1918 the oat crop of the United States aggregated 1,538,359,000 bushels.
See OATMEAL.