isolated from ergot a handful of alkaloids with very different effects: one stimulates the uterine muscle; some are hallucinogens; and some constrict the blood vessels, an action that can cause gangrene, but that also has useful medical applications All these alkaloids have a basic component in common called lysergic acid In 1943 the Swiss scientist Albert Hofman discovered the particular variant that would come to such prominence in the 1960s: the hallucinogen lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD Oats The world produces more oats than rye today, but 95% of the crop is fed to animals Oats are the grains of Avena sativa, a grass that probably originated in south-west Asia and gradually came under cultivation as a companion of wheat and barley In Greek and Roman times it was considered a weed or a diseased form of wheat By 1600 it had become an important crop in northern Europe, in whose wet climate it does best; oats require more moisture than any other cereal but rice Other countries, however, continued to disdain it Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary (London, 1755) gives this definition for oats: “A grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people.” Today the United Kingdom and the United States are the largest consumers of food oats U.S consumption was boosted in the late 19th century by Ferdinand Schumacher, a German immigrant who developed quick-cooking rolled oats for breakfast, and Henry Crowell, who was the first to turn a cereal from a commodity into a retail brand by packaging oats neatly with cooking instructions, labeling it “Pure,” and naming it “Quaker Oats.” Oats are now a mainstay in ready-to-eat granolas, ... to horses, but in Scotland supports the people.” Today the United Kingdom and the United States are the largest consumers of food oats U.S consumption was boosted in the late 19th century by Ferdinand Schumacher, a German... more moisture than any other cereal but rice Other countries, however, continued to disdain it Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary (London, 1755) gives this definition for oats: “A grain, which in England is generally given... rolled oats for breakfast, and Henry Crowell, who was the first to turn a cereal from a commodity into a retail brand by packaging oats neatly with cooking instructions, labeling it “Pure,” and naming it “Quaker Oats.” Oats