THE MICROSCOPE. 



RYE is probably a native of Southeastern Europe and South- 

 western Asia. It has been cultivated for ages and is still 

 grown in the most of temperate climes. Rye is frequently used 

 as an adulteration of many of the commercial spices. Roasted 

 rye is frequently found mixed with coffee, and has been reported 

 as one of the ingredients found in wheat flour. Rye is obtained 

 from Sccalc ccrcale and the kernels resemble wheat only smaller. 

 The cells of the fruit coats are smaller, more delicate and. more 

 finely beaded than wheat. 



There are two kinds of starch grains, large and small, found 

 in rye. The large grains are quite irregular in their size, some 



Fig. 2. Ry( Starch. X 4/^. [Drawti with the camera lucida.) 



being as small as barley, while many are several times larger 

 than the largest grains of wheat. They are lenticular with a 

 great difference between the two diameters, so when, the grains 

 are seen on the edge they are quite slender. The very large 

 grains are flake-like, more transparent, devoid of rings, and 

 frequently have several lines radiating from the central nucleus. 

 Rings are seen in the smaller ones of the large grains, which 

 are more opaque and thicker than the others. The small 

 grams are quite numerous and very small ; they are smaller 

 than the corresponding grains of wheat, while the large grains- 

 are very much larger. A strongly marked cross is seen with the 

 polarized light in the large grains of rye starch. 



