"Oats is one of the most important grain crops in the . In the United States this crop is exceeded in area and value only by corn and wheat, while in Canada it is even more generally grown than in the United States. In Great Britain and Ireland the acreage devoted to oats is little less than that devoted to all other grain crops. In Germany it exceeds the combined acreage of wheat and barley and is second only to rye. In all the countries of northern Europe the oat crop occupies an important place. ... ... Like several of our cultivated plants, this grain was carried westward from its place of origin in western Asia and eastern Europe by the migrations of the inhabitants of that region early in the Christian era. It is probable that oats were first used for feeding animals and that their use as human food was confined to times when other grain or food was scarce. Its general use as food for man is evidently of recent origin and is due to the development of milling machinery."