RYE. 



except where the crop is very luxuriant, and at fa early a 

 period as that there may be no danger of deflroying the new 

 formed ear of the gram. This kind of crop is alfo culti- 

 vated in particular cafes, as where the ground is fufficiently 

 light and dry to be turned down as a manure : where this is 

 the cafe, the crop fhould always be turned in while in its molt 

 green and fucculent tlate, and when the weather is moderately 

 dry, in order that it may be more quickly reduced by putre- 

 faction into a manure. And, in the more fouthern diftridts, 

 it is not unfrequently grown for the purpofes of the tanners, 

 who have recourfe to it in the preparation of leather. 



Application. — The mod ufual application of this crop is 

 as a green food for fheep in the early fpring, before the tur- 

 nip crops are ready. When grown in this view it is ne- 

 cefrary, the author of Practical Agriculture favs, to have 

 attention to different circumitances, in order to derive the 

 utmoft advantage from the crops. As this grain begins to 

 ihoot out, or fpindle, as it is termed by farmers, much earlier 

 than wheat, care mould be taken that the feeding of it down 

 is begun at a fufficiently early period before the ear is formed 

 in the hofe, as the latter end of February or beginning «f 

 March, otherwife the ftem or blade becomes firm and dicky, 

 and the fucceflion of green feed after the firft eating extremely 

 lmall. Indeed this may be done earlier than the firft of thefe 

 periods, in cafes where the feafon is mild and open, and per- 

 fevered in till the end of April. In ell cafes it is, however, 

 advifeable to let tke crop be fo advanced in its growth as to 

 cover the ground tolerably before the fheep are turned in. 

 As this fort of green food is faid to have much effect in pro- 

 moting the flow of milk in fuch ewes as have lambs, proba- 

 bly from its fucculcncy, and its ftimulant properties being ap- 

 plied immediately after the feverity of the winter feafon, when 

 the bodies of animals are known to be more capable of being 

 excited by the action of ftimuli, and when there is fcarcely 

 any other fort of green feed that can leflen its operation by 

 being taken along with it, the culture of it muft be the molt 

 advantageous, it is fuppofed, where fheep hufbandry is cx- 

 tenfively combined with that of tillage, efpecially that de- 

 partment of it which relates to the feeding of lambs. As 

 by this means, from the quantity of fucculent nutritious food 

 that is provided, the lambs are prevented from being Hinted 

 in their growth while young, which is a matter of the ut- 

 moft importance in their future feeding. And that in thus 

 feeding the crop off by fheep it will conflantly be neccfTary 

 to keep the fields properly divided by means of hurdles, as 

 in this way the lofs of food will be much lefs, and fome 

 parts will become frefli while the others are eating down, 

 which are advantages not to be difregarded in cafes of this 

 kind. 



But Mr. Bannifler thinks, that, notwithftanding what has 

 been urged in favour of a rye pafture, it is fcarcely worth the 

 while of any farmer to attempt the cultivation of this grain, 

 who does not keep large numbers of ewes and lambs ; for as 

 the feed ufually fetches a high price, every advantage at- 

 tending the crop will be more than balanced by the fuperior 

 charges in the cultivation, except in tiie inftance above-men- 

 tioned, where no expence fhould be fparted to maintain the 

 lambs in a thriving way, and to prevent their growing hard 

 and Ricky, as the butchers term it ; for if lambs once fink in 

 flefh, it is beyond the art of man to rcflore them to their 

 former thriving ftate again. 



Rye is, in many parts of the country, ufed for bread, 

 either alone, or mixed with wheat. 



Rye is alfo a grain which is much ufed in the diftilleries, 



where it can be procured in large quantity, and alfo by the 



ginger-bread bakers. In the Rural Economy of Yorkfhire 



it is obferved, that before the ufe of lime was prevalent, 



Vol. XXX. 



much rye was grown on the lighter lands upon the margin 

 of the vale, and in the moor-lands fcarcely any other crops 

 than rye and oats were attempted. Now rye is principally 

 confined to the moorland dales ; and even there the alteration 

 of foils by lime has been fuch, that wheat is become the- more 

 prevalent crop. Neverthelefs, on light fandy moorland 

 foils, ry« is generally more profitable than wheat ; and the 

 bread which is made from a mixture of the two grains is 

 here efteemed more wholelome to perfons in general, than 

 that which is made from wheat alone. 



It is cultivated in many diftridts as a good fpring green feed 

 for fheep, particularly ewes and lambs. This is greatly the 

 cafe on the South Downs, in thecoanty of Surrey. It is there 

 fown in the late fummer months, orthe very beginningof thofe 

 of the autumn, the more early the better. When other food 

 is fcarce in the fpruig and in the lambing feafon, the ewes and 

 lambs are turned upon it, proper portions being hurdled off 

 tor the purpofe. 



Some fuppofe it prepares well for turnips, and that on 

 many accounts it may be raifed with much ufe and advantage 

 on open expofed fandy foils, where wheat crops will not 

 fucceed, for being fed off, and infure far better crops of tiie 

 above roots, than are commonly met with in fuch foils and 

 fituations. There \vould,in thefe cafes, it is faid, be the benefit 

 of an increafed quantity of food, and of courfe an increafe in 

 the number of live-ftock, which would produce a greater 

 abundance of manure, and, confequently, of grain crops ulti- 

 mately. The trouble and expence of adopting fuch a 

 method of practice would be but trifling, infomuch as the 

 ground would be broken up only in the autumn in Head 

 of the fpring ; in return for which fheep-feed would be 

 procured, and, at the fame time, the land be well dreffed 

 for the further crop, which fhould conftantly have a full 

 fupply of manure when the feed is put into the land. 



This crop, on the whole, deferves more attention than it 

 has commonly met with, as it forms one of the links in the 

 chain of green food, by which live-ftock, on arable farm;, 

 can be fed and fupported the whole year round. 



In many parts of France there have been certain years in 

 which this grain, from no apparent caufe, has proved noxi- 

 ous, and fometimes even poifonous. M. Perrault travelling 

 through Sologne, was informed that the rye of that pro- 

 wince was fometimes fo corrupted, that thofe who eat of the 

 bread that had much of the corrupted grain in it, were feized 

 witli gangrenes in different parts of the body, which were 

 not preceded by any fever, inflammation, or any confiderable 

 pain ; and that the gangrened parts ufually fell off after a 

 time of themfelvcs, without the aifiltance of chirurgical in- 

 ftruments. The grains of rye thus degenerated, are black 

 on the outfide, and tolerably white within ; and when they 

 are dry, they are harder and clofer than the natural good 

 grain ; they have no ill tafte, but fometimes they h:.ve a vifcous 

 metallic-like honey hanging to one end of them. They grow 

 longer than the other grains in the fame ear, and are found 

 from one or two to feven or eight in the fame ear. Some 

 have fuppofed that thefe were not the proper feeds ol the 

 plant, but fome other extraneous bodie6 that got :-i among 

 them ; but it is evident, from a clofe infpeftion, that they 

 are really the genuine feeds, only altered by fome accident ; 

 the coats, and the furrow, and even tin- gernicn for the 

 young plant, being entirely the fame as in the natural feeds. 



The places where the rye is found to degenerate in this 

 manner, are all a dry and fandy foil. In thefe places there 

 is fcarcely any foil in which more or lefs of thefe large feeds 

 are not found among the others, but where there are but 

 few of them, the ill effects are not perceived. The feafons 

 when the degeneracy is grcatcft, and the efleits the worft 

 5 H of 



