CHAPTER VII 

 RYE 



289. Origin and Description. Rye has been cultivated 

 only in comparatively recent times, for it was not known 

 among the Greeks and Romans. It probably grew origi- 

 nally in western Asia and southeastern Europe, since several 

 species of wild rye, any one of which may be the parent of 

 the cultivated type, are still found there. Rye is quite 

 closely related to wheat, and its manner of growth is much 

 the same. The straw is longer and more wiry, and the heads 

 are more slender and are always bearded. Unlike wheat and 

 the other small grains, rye cross-fertilizes freely, which 

 probably accounts for the fact that so few distinct varieties 

 have been developed. It is a comparatively easy matter to 

 maintain a pure stock of wheat, oats, or barley and so to 

 develop in time a new variety from any particularly good 

 plant. There is no danger of mixing with other varieties 

 if proper care is used in sowing, harvesting, and thrashing. 

 Rye, however, may become mixed in the field by pollen 

 carried from other plants by the wind or by insects, and hence 

 it is quite difficult to build up a pure strain. Only a few 

 varieties are recognized even by seedsmen, and farmers ordi- 

 narily grow simply " winter rye" or " spring rye." Most of 

 the rye grown in this country is sown in the fall, for winter rye 

 is our hardiest winter grain and there are few localities where 

 it does not succeed. 



290. Importance of the Crop. The world production of 

 rye is greater than that of barley, but less than that of wheat, 

 corn, oats, or rice. Almost half of the world's crop of 1,600,- 

 000,000 bushels is grown in European Russia, and about 



