560 



RYE 



RYE 



individual grains on the head are partly exposed 

 instead of being entirely enclosed within the 

 glumes, as in wheat. They are also somewhat 

 longer, more slender and more pointed at the end 

 which is the point of attachment to the spike. The 

 longitudinal crease or suture, which is so charac- 

 teristic of wheat, is very much less marked in rye. 

 Rye is darker in color, with a slightly wavy 

 or wrinkled surface and exceedingly hard 

 and tough in texture, requiring more power 

 to mill than any other grain. 



Rye "shoots" the spike or head in the 

 spring much sooner than winter wheat, but 

 the time of maturity is usually not more 

 than one week earlier. As the young plant- 

 lets emerge above ground they have a dis- 

 tinctly red tinge, which markedly distin- 

 guishes them from young wheat plants, and 

 the fall growth is more spreading or decum- 

 bent than in wheat, while in spring, before 

 heading, the leaves take on a grayish green 

 that is diiferent from other grains. The flow- 

 ering glume is always awned or bearded, 

 and the large anthers shed their pollen in 

 great profusion, so that 

 on bright, windy days it 

 may sometimes be seen 

 drifting across the field 

 like puffs of thin yellow 

 smoke. The leaves largely 

 lose their vitality before 

 the grain is mature, and, 

 as in wheat, the stems 

 probably perform the 

 physiological function of 

 leaves. Rye is a more 

 hardy plant than wheat 

 and is grown in more ex- 

 treme northern latitudes, 

 and yet it seems more tolerant of hot weather also. 

 It is probable that its zone of successful growth 

 covers a wider range of climatic conditions than 

 any other cereal. 



History. 



The culture of rye, while 

 more than two thousand 

 years old, is still not so 

 ancient as that of wheat 

 and barley. De Candolle 

 states that its original 

 home was between the 

 Austrian Alps and the Caspian sea. The Greeks 

 were not acquainted with it and Roman writers in 

 the time of Pliny spoke of it as a new plant grown 

 by the barbarian tribes which they had conquered. 

 No rye remains are found in the middens of the 

 Swiss lake-dwellers, while wheat, barley and spelt 

 occur. 



According to A. de Candolle, it is doubtful 

 whether rye now exists in the wild state. He held 

 that the wild rye reported by travelers was either 

 plants which were self-sown or a rye-like form of 

 grass of an allied genus. It is certain that under 

 cultivation rye has the power of perpetuating 



Fig. 799. 



Floret of lye {Secale cereale.) 



See Pig. 562. 



itself by volunteer sowing beyond any other 

 grain. 



According to Hackel, however, the original form 

 of rye (Secale montanum) grows wild in mountains 

 of the Mediterranean countries and as far east as 

 central Asia. It is perennial, with a jointed I'achis, 

 both of which characters have disappeared in 

 cultivation. 



Rye seems to be a plant of decreasing importance 

 in the economy of the world. First barley and 

 later wheat have driven it out of the warmer cli- 

 mates. It has always been the bread of northern 

 peoples. In the United States, at least, it is mainly 

 the peculiar value of the straw which still retains 

 for it a place in our agricultural practice. 



Distribution. 



While rye is of minor importance in America, it 

 is the principal cereal of Russia and Scandinavia. 

 It Is estimated that the world's production of rye 

 is equal to slightly more than 50 per cent of the 

 world's wheat crop, and rather more than one-half 

 of this is grown in Russia. 



The annual production of rye in the United States 

 for the five years 1900 to 1904 averages a little 

 less than 29,000,,000 bushels, and this amount has 

 shown no important increase for twenty years. 

 Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, New York and Nebraska 

 were the only states growing more than 2,000,000 

 bushels in 1904, but the growing of rye has reached 

 its highest development in New Jersey and in three 

 or four counties of eastern New York. In New 

 Jersey, the production of rye very closely approaches 

 that of wheat, being the only state where this 

 condition prevails. In Canada in 1901 the bushels 

 of rye were 2,316,793, from 176,679 acres. More 

 than two millions of bushels of the crop were 

 produced in Ontario. 



Composition. 



The composition of rye grain is similar to that 

 of maize and wheat, the following being the average 

 of many American analyses as given by Henry : 



Rye differs from maize mainly in the less amount 

 of fat ; and it has considerably less protein than 

 wheat. So far as mere chemical analysis is con- 

 cerned, it may probably be considered as satisfac- 

 torily replacing corn in a ration. 



The composition of rye-straw is almost identical 

 with that of wheat-straw, but it is much tougher 

 in fiber, which gives it a special value as bedding 

 and for some industrial purposes. 



Culture of rye. 



Soil.— It is true that rye will make a fair growth 

 on soils which are too light and thin for the 



