ECONOMIC PLANTS 209 



eight pounds of barley is the standard for a measured 

 bushel. For hull-less barley it is sixty pounds for a 

 bushel. 



The price of malting barley depends largely on its 

 bright, clear appearance, which indicates high germinat- 

 ing power. Barley discolors very easily, and great care 

 should be taken to keep it from drenching rains after 

 it has been cut in the fields. 



Rye. The relative unimportance of rye in this 

 country is revealed by the statistics of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, which show that the United States 

 raises only about one fifth as much rye as barley. 

 Yet this small amount is seven eighths of the entire 

 crop of North America. Germany produces annually 

 twelve times as much as North America, France twice 

 as much, while Russia's crop is over twenty times as 

 great. The large production of this grain in these 

 European countries is due to its use there in making 

 bread, the wheat crop being uncertain, the consequent 

 price placing it beyond the reach of the peasantry. 



Rye is adapted to the cooler regions of the United 

 States and is often sown on land too poor for other 

 grains. It is usually sown in the fall, for it stands 

 winter freezing without damage to the yield. It may 

 be used for pasturage, and it may be turned under as 

 a green manure. 



Rye has the same classification as wheat, namely, 

 spring and winter. The latter variety is the more 

 productive, and consequently cultivated more ex- 

 tensively. The grain may be distinguished from wheat 

 by its longer, slenderer, and more wrinkled appearance. 

 An average yield of rye is 20 bushels an acre, and the 

 standard weight is 56 pounds a bushel. In some places 

 M. & H. AG. 14 



