OATS, BARLEY, AND RYE 145 



Rye Enemies. Rye suffers from two kinds of 

 rusts. A remedy for this is to burn the stubble 

 or rotate crops. Rye is sometimes also attacked 

 by smut, in which case it is treated the same as 

 oats. Another disease is ergot, which is a fungus 

 growth that attacks the rye grains causing them 

 to become very large. (Fig. 77.) Ergot is a 

 poison, causing much trouble when eaten in bread 

 by man or when fed to stock. The remedy lies in 

 not using seed that has ergot in it and in not 

 sowing rye for two or three years on the infested 

 fields. 



Uses of Rye. A good yield of rye is a ton of 

 straw per acre which produces from sixteen to 

 twenty bushels of grain. ' The straw is worth in 

 the East nearly as much as the grain. Rye flour 

 makes a light bread. Rye grain is iised to make 

 alcoholic liquors but this use will grow smaller as 

 people do away with drinks that contain alcohol. 



QUESTIONS 



(1) In what kind of soil do oats thrive best? (2) Com- 

 pare oat soil and climate with that of corn. (3) How 

 should oat seed be prepared for sowing? (4) How shall 

 one save moisture for the oat crop? (5) Discuss the 

 barley crop. (6) How is barley used? (7) What can 

 you say of rye as an American crop? (8) For what is 

 it used? (9) To what extent are oats, barley, and rye 

 grown in your locality? (10) How do you account for 

 this? 



