FARM CROPS. 145 



probably the most common and troublesome. Among 

 the insect enemies are the Hessian Fly and the Chinch 

 Bug. Among the diseases are Rust (Puccinia gra- 

 minis), Scab (Fusarium roseum) and the Smuts 

 Stinking (Tilletia foe tens), Loose (Ustilago tritici) . 



RYE. 



Rye is one of the cereals which differs considerably 

 from those already described. It is considerably 

 taller, more slender and tougher than either oats, 

 wheat or barley. It is said also that rye is a perennial 

 plant which has lost this character under cultivation. 

 It is a plant more closely related to wheat than either 

 oats or barley, yet differs considerably from either. 

 This is a plant better adapted to poor soils than oats 

 or wheat. It is often called the grain of poverty, 

 because of its ability to produce a fair crop on land 

 illy adapted for the other cereals. It responds 

 readily to good soil and treatment, however, and is 

 doubtless able to overcome adverse conditions because 

 of its different rooting habits. 



Rye The Roots. Rye, in germinating, throws 

 out a whorl of four temporary roots instead of three, 

 as with the plantlet of wheat, oats or barley. Rye is 

 enabled therefore to stand greater extremes of tem- 

 perature and unfavorable conditions than the other 

 crops. It is commonly considered the most hardy of 

 this group of cereals, and its greater root development 

 shows at least one reason why this is so. The per- 

 manent roots differ but little from those of the other 

 grains, except that they usually ramify the soil to 

 greater distances and to greater depths. 



Rye The Culm. The rye culm is decidedly more 

 slender in comparison to its length than the other 

 cereals under discussion. It is too, longer, and with a 

 tougher, harsher straw. The leaves show scarcely 

 any difference from those of wheat with the exception 

 of being narrower and of greater length. When the 



