190 THE PEOPLE'S FARM AND STOCK CYCLOPEDIA. 



Rye. I have not ordinarily found it profitable to grow rye 

 for the grain, yet I place a high value on the plant, and recom- 

 mend that it be grown for some purpose on every farm. Under 

 the head of " Green Manures " I have treated of it as a fertil- 

 izer. I can also heartily recommend it for pasture. From 

 causes beyond his control, the farmer often fails to get a stand 

 of grass or clover in the spring, and his rotation is broken up, 

 and perhaps, unless he can find some substitute for clover, he would 

 be obliged to sell stock which he would gladly keep. By seed- 

 ing a field with rye and timothy in September, he is sure of 

 early and profitable pasture the ensuing season. The rye will 

 be ready to turn on, earlier even than blue-grass, and will pro- 

 duce a large amount of palatable and nutritious pasture, and by 

 the time the rye begins to fail, the timothy will take its place. 

 Until I had tested the matter, I supposed the young grass would 

 be much injured by tramping while feeding off the rye, but I 

 find that it is not. Nearly or quite a month can be added to 

 the grazing season by the use of rye for pasture, and that at 

 a season when stock are hardest to keep in flesh. The 

 farmer who has a rye field for early pasture is not tempted to 

 turn his stock out so early on the clover or other pastures, and 

 is likely to have better pasture all summer on account of it. If 

 it is the intention to leave the field on which rye is sown for 

 pasture another year, I would recommend that clover also be 

 sown in the spring. Turn the stock on this as soon as the 

 growth is sufficient, and keep them there till the middle of May 

 or till the clover begins to show the blossoms ; then take off the 

 stock and allow the rye to grow, and it will make a light crop of 

 grain, and the grass will come on for good late pasture. 



Rye straw may be grown for sale with great profit by farm- 

 ers living so near a city that they can wagon it to market, or 

 those living remote might grow it in such quantities as would 

 justify them in baling it, for the railroads will not transport it 

 in bundles. I have watched the market reports for several years, 

 and often find it quoted as high as the best qualities of hay. I 

 have grown rye for the straw alone for some years, cutting it 

 when in blossom, but have never weighed it to see what the yield 



