CHAPTER XXIV 

 RYE 



EYE is the fifth cereal in importance in the world and in the 

 United States. It is exceeded in the world by corn, wheat, oats, and 

 rice, and in the United States the rice is replaced by barley. Rye is 

 cultivated in much the same way as wheat and is used for similar 

 purposes, and in many places may be considered to be a competing 

 crop with wheat. It will grow on poorer soils than wheat and in 

 colder climates, and so has a distinct advantage in many countries. 



Rye Production. About nine-tenths of the rye crop is pro- 

 duced in Europe (Fig. 71). Rye is only a minor crop in other parts 



of the world. 



Production of Rye 



Production, 5-year average, 

 Continent 1909-1913, bushels 



Europe 1,692,554,000 



North America 37,082,000 



Asia 24,663,000 



South America 1,094,000 



Australasia 205,000 



Total 1,755^598,000 



While the rye crop of the world is only one-third that of wheat, 

 yet in Europe the two crops are almost of equal importance, and in 

 at least two countries, Russia and Germany, rye far outranks wheat. 

 Production of Rye and Wheat in Russia and Germany, Average 1909-1913 



Rye, bushels Wheat, bushels 



Russia 791 ,333,000 522,794,000 



Germany 445,222,000 152,119,000 



Rye Production in Six States of the United States for 1920 

 State Bushels 



Michigan 9,702,000 



North Dakota 9,340,000 



Minnesota 8,160,000 



Wisconsin 7,728,000 



Indiana 4,340,000 



South Dakota 4,320,000 



Total 43,590,000 



Total United States 69,318,000 



Origin and History. While the cultivated species of rye are 

 annuals, it is thought to have originated from a wild perennial form 

 found growing in South Europe to Central Asia. 



The fact that pasturing off rye closely for a season may cause it to 

 live over a second winter, shows it to have a tendency toward a 

 perennial form. No other cereals appear to show such a tendency. 

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