170 CULTURE. QUALITIES. 



Rye straw, though of little value for fodder, is in 

 great demand for litter, and for various mechanical pur- 

 poses, and commands a high price, varying in the Bos- 

 ton market from ten to fifteen dollars a ton. But it is 

 as a fodder-plant, and particularly for soiling in early 

 spring, that it is now extensively used and highly prized. 

 For this purpose it is sown in the autumn, the earlier 

 the better, after other crops come from the ground, and 

 in early spring it starts up luxuriantly, and is fit to be 

 fed off by sheep and lambs, or to cut at the height of 

 six inches. At this stage of its growth, and before it 

 begins to spindle, it is succulent and nutritious ; but, as 

 soon as this period of its growth is reached, it loses its 

 succulent qualities, and is no longer relished by stock. 



Rye has sometimes been parched and ground as a 

 substitute for coffee ; but it wants the grateful aroma 

 and the stimulating properties of the favorite Mocha 

 bean, and it can hardly come into general use. 



Rye sown with wheat produces a mixed crop known 

 as meslin, which forms one of the healthiest kinds of 

 bread that it is possible to make, and practical millers 

 much prefer wheat and rye grown together to any mix- 

 ture of the two that have been grown separately. The 

 comparative value of wheat and rye is about as 71 to 

 64, according to the most accurate experiments and 

 analyses. 



But rye may be cultivated longer on the same soil 

 than almost any other crop of the farm. This is a fact 

 which has often been noticed by practical farmers. 



Rye contains a large per cent, of gluten, larger than 

 any of the cereals except wheat, while about five per 

 cent, of it consists of ready-formed saccharine matter, 

 which makes it easily converted into malt, and so into 

 beer and other spirits, particularly that known as " Hol- 

 lands," which is distilled from rye, flavored with juni- 



