FIELD CROPS 277 



in autumn, they would lie in the ground over winter, and 

 would be destroyed by birds, field mice, molds, and bac- 

 teria, before they had a chance to come up. 



Rye does not need as good soils as wheat, and will stand 

 much more cold; it is often sown for winter pasture. Rye 

 bread is of dark color, and is much liked by many persons on 

 account of its flavor. In Germany and Russia rye is much 

 grown for bread. The " pumpernickel" of Westphalia is 

 made of rye flour. 



Barley is the hardiest grain of all, and will ripen in 

 the far north, in Norway, Alaska, and Siberia. Its 

 chief uses are for feeding animals and for brewing 

 beer. Like wheat, barley has many varieties. The 

 Chevalier barley is the most highly esteemed for 

 brewing, and grows finely in the coast valleys of 

 California. 



Wheat and barley are much used for hay on the Paci- 

 fic coast, when sown late so that the grain cannot ripen. 



Rice is the grain chiefly eaten in China, Japan, and India. 

 It looks not unlike barley when growing, but requires much 

 water, and is mostly grown in low or swampy ground, and 

 flooded several times. It requires a warm, moist climate, 

 and is abundantly grown in South Carolina, Louisiana, and 

 Texas. It might be grown in California tule lands. Like 

 barley, it has a husk adhering to the grain, which is taken off 

 by pounding or grinding in a hulling mill. It is not made 

 into bread, but eaten boiled in water. 



The oat does not look like the other grains, having a 

 branched ear. It is hardier than wheat, and its grains are 

 covered with a hard husk, which is sometimes black or red. 



