176 THE RYE CROP. 



are larger and more perfect than when grown singly 

 without any admixture/' 1 



This is a very fallacious system, notwithstanding these 

 asserted advantages. No doubt the wheat on poor soils 

 and in elevated districts would very frequently fail, while 

 the rye, under similar conditions, would be capable of 

 perfecting its growth, but the reverse was seldom or never 

 the case ; besides which, the rye is ready for harvest from 

 three to four weeks earlier than the wheat, and therefore 

 they could not very well be cut together without detri- 

 ment to the yield of either the one or the other grain. It 

 is true that rye may, without injury, remain longer stand- 

 ing after it is ready to cut than either of the other grains, 

 and that wheat may be cut with advantage at an earlier 

 period than it generally is ; but the difference in time be- 

 tween the ripening of the two crops is too great to admit 

 of an intermediate harvest-time for the mixed crop, with- 

 out one or the other suffering from it. 



The germination of the rye-seed, when placed in the 

 soil, is the same as that of wheat (p. 21), and the after- 

 treatment, as regards rolling and hoeing, is generally con- 

 ducted in the same manner. On light soils, such as are 

 suitable to rye, weeds are generally more plentiful than 

 on the heavy soils, and rye always repays the farmer for 

 being kept free from weeds in its early growth. 



The period of flowering is one of vast importance to 

 the rye crop ; indeed, the process of flowering has more 

 influence upon the future yield of the rye than upon either 

 of the other cereals. Until this be past no opinion can 

 be correctly formed of the harvest prospects. The time 

 of flowering is about two or three weeks earlier than 

 that of wheat, and then it takes place along the whole 

 extent of the ear- at the same time. This simultaneous 

 inflorescence renders the rye very sensitive to the action 



1 Board of Agriculture Survey vf Northumberland, p. 80. 



