168 ETB. — CHAEACTEEISTICS. 



Barley contains, on an average, about sixty-five per 

 cent, of nutritive matter, while wheat contains about 

 seventy-eight per cent. According to the elaborate 

 experiments of Thaer, the comparative value of wheat, 

 barley, and oats, for feeding stock, may be represented 

 by 47, 32, and 24, taking the same quantity of each. 

 The soil on which these grains are cultivated has, no 

 doubt, much to do with their composition. 



Eye. 



Rye (Secale cereale) is said to be a native of the 

 island of Candia. It is a plant intermediate between 

 wheat and barley. 



The general characteristics have been stated in the 

 preceding chapter. It is so nearly allied to the genus 

 Triticam, that it is not always easily distinguished from 

 it. There are four prominent species, known to bota- 

 nists as Secale viUosum, or tufted rye ; Secede orientoile, 

 or dwarf oriental rye ; Secede creticum, or Cretan rye, 

 and Secale cereale; the last being the only one cultivated 

 in this country for its seeds. 



It is characterized by long-bearded spikes, or ears, and 

 a tall and slender stem. The glumes of the calyx are 

 toothed on the edges ; the root is fibrous and annual ; 

 the stem jointed, somewhat branched at the bottom, and 

 smooth. The spike is terminal, solitary, erect, and 

 often three or four inches long; the awns straight, 

 rough, erect, and four or five times the length of the 

 glumes. The plant is shown in Fig. 139. 



Of this there are two prominent varieties, known to 

 farmers as winter and spring rye, and due to culture 

 mainly. 



The variety most commonly cultivated, and which is 

 represented in the figure, is known as winter rye ; and 

 this is to be preferred, whether it is sown for the grain 



