THRESHING RYE 193 



Rye and Vetch. Winter or hairy vetch is often grown with rye. 

 The vetch is a legume, adding nitrogen to the soil, and is well 

 adapted to sandy land. The mixture may be plowed under as a 

 green manure or, if allowed to ripen, harvested together. After 

 threshing, the rye and vetch seeds are separated by machines espe- 

 cially adapted for this purpose. This is also a good way of growing 

 vetch for seed. 



Cultural Methods. While rye responds to good preparation, as 

 other crops, yet it is so hardy and vigorous that a stand and crop 

 may be secured under quite unfavorable conditions. 



The rate of sowing varies from one to three bushels per acre: 

 the less amount when conditions are favorable and long coarse 

 straw is desired, but more seed is used with less favorable conditions 

 and when the rye is to be used as a green manure crop. 



The time of sowing rye may extend over a period of three months. 

 About September fifteenth would be most favorable in the corn belt, 

 but it may be sown early in August and pastured off, if the growth is 

 too rank. Eye is often sown in July in standing corn at the last 

 cultivation, in which case it makes only a light growth until the corn 

 is ripe or harvested. In some cases rye is purposely sown so late 

 that it will only barely sprout before freezing weather, in which case 

 it should be sown rather thickly. 



Harvesting Rye. When rye is grown for grain it is allowed to 

 become quite ripe, but, in some regions, rye is grown quite as much 

 for the straw as for the grain. When the rye straw is to be used in 

 the padding of horse collars or for the manufacture of matting, it is 

 usually cut while quite green, bound in small bundles and carefully 

 cured. As soon as dry in the shock the bundles should be stacked in 

 the barn, or under a shed, where it will go through the " sweat " or 

 natural heating process. This leaves the straw with a good color 

 and tougher. 



Threshing Rye. When the straw is to be sold it is usually kept 

 straight. To do this, only the heads are thrust into the threshing 

 machine, and the bundle withdrawn and thrown aside. There are 

 also special machines for threshing rye, in which the bundle is fed 

 in sideways, but only the heads are threshed, the straw passing 

 13 



