RYR 49 
early pasturing will not seriously interfere with the 
maturing of the grain. 
Another advantage of rye, which should not 
be lost sight of, is its usefulness as a cover-crop, 
not only in absorbing and holding plant-food, but 
in preventing the waste of soil by washing or 
blowing. 
Rye can be seeded later in the fall than almost 
any other crop, and starts earlier in spring than 
most others. It will usually pay well to seed rye 
on raw ground as a cover-crop alone. 
Rye can also be utilized for silage. It is not so 
well adapted for silage as corn, yet if allowed to 
head out fully before cutting and to wilt slightly 
before packing in the silo, it may be preserved 
without serious loss. Its food value in silage will 
also compare favorably with that in the green 
material. 
Made in the proper way, rye hay is also a good 
means of utilizing the crop. It should be cut when 
at its best stage for forage, that is, before fuily 
headed out, and cured in the usual way. 
Soils, manures, and fertilizers for rye 
When grown for forage purposes, the prepara- 
tion of soil and the seeding are of great impor- 
tance, as these points have a direct bearing both 
on the earliness and the yield, notwithstanding that 
D 
