OTHER CEREALS . 91 



regions. It will grow on soil too poor to produce good crops 

 of wheat. It is also grown on land on which wheat is killed 

 out by the winter. The seed-bed for rye should be prepared 

 exactly as for wheat. Rye is usually sown a few days earlier 

 than wheat, but may also be sown quite late. About one and 

 a half to two bushels of seed per acre are sown. The harvest- 

 ing and threshing are the same as for wheat, but extra care 

 must be taken that the grain is quite dry before storing it in 

 bins, for it will mould very easily. 



Varieties and Characteristics. — There are few varieties 

 of rye, probably owing to the easy mixing of varieties when 

 sown close together. Rye grows much taller than wheat and 

 the kernels are not completely covered by the chaff. Rye heads 

 out and blossoms much sooner than wheat, but it ripens at 

 about the same time. The straw from rye is quite valuable 

 for packing purposes, because of its length and toughness. 

 Rye is seldom injured by insects, smut, or rust. A disease 

 called ergot sometimes attacks it. This will be spoken of in 

 another place. 



Barley. — The history of barley is as old as that of wheat. 

 In ancient Egypt it was used as food for man and beast and 

 also for beer. Down to the sixteenth century it was the 

 principal bread plant of the civilized world. With the de- 

 velopment of wheat culture and the introduction of potatoes 

 from America its use began to decrease. 



Culture. — Barley will grow under a wider range of climate 

 and soil conditions than any other cereal. It will grow well 

 in regions of small rainfall and it matures in less time than 

 oats and spring wheat. Barley comes to its highest perfec- 

 tion on rich, sandy loam soil, well-drained. It should not be 

 grown in a field that has had a root crop, i. e., turnips or 



