HINTS ON RAISING FARM CROPS 25 
types of rye as we do of wheat, oats and 
barley, because these other types of grain are 
self-pollenated. After the summer crop has 
been removed, the land should be worked up, 
or at least disced, and the rye sown as soon 
as possible. In the green stage, it affords the 
farmer a good late fall pasture, or an early 
pasture for his cattle, should he need it, be¬ 
cause cattle pasture is often quite scarce at 
these particular times. 
If rye is to be used as grain, it can be sown 
in September in the North, or in October in 
the South. It will then be in shape to harvest 
in good season the following summer. As the 
method of harvesting this crop is the same 
as the other grain crops already discussed, we 
will not repeat these operations. 
Ergot has already been mentioned as the 
prevailing disease of this plant. It appears as 
black or purplish spots on the kernels, and is 
easily seen about harvest time. The best 
method of eradicating this disease is by ro¬ 
tating the crop. This ergot, when fed to cat¬ 
tle in the rye, is liable to cause abortion 
amongst the cattle; it is, therefore, seldom 
fed to cattle. Rye is less susceptible to in¬ 
sect ravages than wheat and oats, but the 
same remedies are resorted to when these pests 
do appear. 
FLAX 
Flax is a crop that is grown to a large exteqi 
in this country. This plant is capable of be¬ 
ing put to a variety of uses, and therefore is 
quite popular in some sections, at least, as a 
