352 THE CEREALS IN AMERICA 



** Of the straws used, the best come from Tuscany. The)' are rye and wheat 

 straws, and are known as the 'grano marzuolo,' or March grain. It is sown ir; 

 March, very thick, to prevent the blades from growing too fast or strong. In J unt 

 it has growTi to a length of 1 8 or 20 inches and is ready for use. The rye and whcai 

 js torn out by the roots, bound into small bundles, exposed to the sun but not tc 

 the rain, and is then laid aside for one or two years' seasoning. Before bcin^' 

 worked, the bundles are spread out like fans, exposed three nights to the dew anc 

 three days to the sun ; they are then turned to expose the other side two nights tc- 

 the dew and three days to the sun. In this way, the straw that was green be 

 comes a beautiful yellow or golden white. The ears and roots are now removed 

 and the stems are sorted into twelve to twenty sizes." l 



491. Rye as a Soiling Crop. — Rye is especially acceptable to 

 milch cows, when fed as a soiling crop the flow of milk being- 

 well maintained, and no bad results accrue from its use. The 

 period during which it is available is comparatively brief, how- 

 ever, usually not more than two weeks in the latter part of 

 April and fore part of May, varying somewhat wdth latitude and 

 season. The period of maturity in which it makes a desirable; 

 soiling crop varies from just before heading until it is in full 

 bloom. Prior to the earlier stage the yield is not sufficient to 

 justify its use, and after the later stage it is not sufficient!}' 

 palatable to be eaten readily. The Pennsylvania Station has 

 shown that between the extremes noted, requiring twelve days, 

 the yield of dry matter in the plant increased approximateljf 

 from 1,200 to 2,800 pounds per acre.^ In a system of soiling; 

 the hiatus between rye and oats and field peas (405) may b(j 

 filled in with wheat and later with common red clover. At the 

 Alabama Station four cuttings of rye made in October, Novemi- 

 ber, January and February gave a total of eleven tons of green 

 rye per acre.* 



492. By-products. — The by-products of rye are rye bran 

 and distillers' grains. Rye bran has about the same feeding 

 value as wheat bran. The distillers' grains are the by-products 



1 J. C. Monaghan : Germany's Straw Industry. Consular Reports, Vol LVIII 

 (1898), No. 216, p. 53. 



2 Penn. Rpt. 1893, p. 52. 

 8 Ala. Bui 16. 



