3S<^ 



THE CEREALS IN AMERICA 



also attacked freely by those insects which attack wheat and maize. (156) Kye 

 \s perhaps as treely injured by black stem rust and orange leaf rust as wheat, oats 

 and barley. (146) It is also rarely attacked by a smut 

 {Urocystis occulta (Wallr.) Rabh.). Treatment of seed with 

 hot water at 127° F. is recommended. The greatest enemy 

 of rye, however, is ergot, sometimes known as spurred or 

 horned rye {Claviceps purpurea Tul.). Ergot is readily 

 recognized by the very much enlarged and changed appear- 

 ance of the grain caused by the growth of the fruiting 

 spores. It is from these diseased grains that the ascospore 

 stage develops the next year. Rye containing ergot should 

 not be sown and land which has produced the diseased rj^e 

 should not be sown to rye again for two or three years. It 

 is desirable, in case the crop has been diseased, to put the 

 land in some cultivated crop the succeeding year in order 

 to prevent the growth of volunteer rye, which is very likely 

 to be diseased and thus continue the trouble. Rye contain- 

 ing ergot should not be fed to domestic animals nor eaten 

 by persons because of the serious effect which may follow 

 from such use. 



489. Harvesting. — Rye usually ripens 

 Ergot on spike of rye. about a Week in advauce of winter wheat. 

 On account of the greater length of culm, 

 heavy crops of rye are likely to tax the capacity of self-binding 

 harvesters. Rye may be shocked as indicated for wheat. (161) 

 But ordinarily it is not necessary to cap rye because the spikes 

 lie so close to- 

 gether as to form 

 a sufficient pro- 

 tection without 

 capping, On ac- 

 count of the much 

 higher price which 

 can be obtained 

 for straight rye 

 straw as compared with tangled straw, threshing machines have 

 been devised for keeping the straw straight during the opera- 

 tion, and soma of the machines have a self-binding attachment 

 by which the stray straw is bound again into bundles. Machines 



Rye thresher with attachment for binding straight straw 

 after it is threshed. 



