THE CULTURE OF RYE 237 



that time. The land should then be disked and harrowed 

 to make it fine and mellow, and to prevent it from drying out. 

 The field should be harrowed often enough during the interval 

 between plowing and seeding to prevent the growth of weeds. 

 Sowing with the grain drill is preferable to broadcast seeding. 

 The usual rate of seeding is from 5 to 6 pecks to the acre, 

 though as much as 8 pecks may be sown when winter pasture 

 is desired. 



The time of seeding depends on the locality and the use 

 which is to be made of the crop. If intended for fall pasture, 

 the seed may be sown early in August in the Northern states, 

 or during the latter part of August or early in September 

 farther south. If grown for grain alone, September is the 

 usual month for seeding in the North, and October in the 

 South. Winter rye may be sown later than winter wheat, 

 and is not usually sown until after wheat seeding is finished. 

 The methods of harvesting and thrashing are not different 

 from those in use with the other grains. 



293. Diseases and Insect Enemies. The most common 

 disease of rye is ergot, in which the grains are replaced by 

 long black or purplish masses of spores. This disease 

 occurs on many of the wild and cultivated grasses and occa- 

 sionally on the other small grains, but of our cultivated 

 crops it is most frequent on rye. The spores of this parasite 

 gain entrance into the ovule when it first begins to develop 

 and the growth of the fungus gradually replaces that of the 

 ovule. By the time the grain matures, the spore-mass of 

 ergot has developed into a hard, elongated, slightly curved 

 body from J^ to 1^ inches long. The fungus reduces the 

 yield of grain to some extent, but it is most serious when it 

 occurs in considerable quantity and causes poisoning and 

 other serious disorders of stock which eat it. Ergot is used 

 to some extent in medicine. The best preventive measures 



