Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1881-07-13

therefore is more palatable when eaten
without butter or fruit sauce. Hee great
number Of persons who are daily arriv-
ing from various parts of Germany and
the Scandinavian countries will cause n
large demand for rye next
season, and farmers will do
we'll to consider this fact in deciding
what grains to SOW. The circumstance
that the price of rye is higher than that
of wheat shows that the former is neg
lected crop, and one that is deserving Of
more attention than it receives. Rye is
a more productive as we'll as more
hardy plant than wheat, while it is less
liable to be injured by insects. 1t will
produce n good crop upon poorer soil,
aud one that has received less prepara-
tion. Many tracts of loose, sandy soil
will produce large crops of rye, on
which paying crop of wheat, corn or
potatoes could not be grown. There
are many large tracts of sandy land in
the western states, considered almost
valueless. that will produce large and ex-
cellent crops of rye. These tracts could
be purchased and utilized by growing
rye to most excellent advantage. With
very few exceptions rye is only raised by
small and poor farmers. A large proper
tion of all the rye produced in the coun-
try is raised on little patches of from
one to five acres in extent. We have
wheat fields extending over several
thousand acres, but it is an unsual
thing to find even quarter of section
of land in one body devoted to the grain
that is worth more than wheat.
Other plants classed as cereals are Of
little or no value except for the grain
they produce. Their foliage and straw
are not of sufficient worth to take into
the account in estimating the value of
the crop. In many parts OF the country
the straw of wheat, barley and oats is
burned in the field. In other places
they are only used for feeding stock.
The straw of rye, however, is very val
liable for large number of purposes.
It makes excellent paper stock. In forms
the best material for thatch. It is supe-
rior to any other kind of straw for use in
packing furniture, glass, and crockery-
ware, for tying round nursery stock, for
filling beds, and for covering the tops Of
stacks. Next to flags that grow in
marshes and water courses it is the best
material for bands for tying up bundles
of grain and corn stalks. When de.
signed for this purpose the stalks should
be cut at the season of blossoming. They
are then strong and pliable, and ba-ds
made of them are easily applied to ban.
dies. These bands will be readily eaten
by stock of all kinds. Bands made ot
rye straw, cut when the plant is in bios
som, are also useful for tying up grape
vines. If rye is harvested at this stage
in its growth the ground can be plowed
up sufficiently early to admit of raising
another crop on the same land. Rye il
an excellent crop to raise for feeding of
at those seasons of the year when gras
affords but little food. The seed ma,
be sown to excellent advantage betweel
the rows of standing corn, and covered
with the cultivator when the crop i
worked for the last time. In u favorable
season it will afford much food durin,
the latter part Of the fall as we'll durin;
the winter and early spring. Rye also i
a very valuable crop to raise for the pul
pose of plowing under with view @
fertilizing the soil. A heavy growth Q
it may often be raised on land that vii
produce but very little red clover, whic]
is generally. raised for the. purpose o
plowing under. The seed costs less an,
the period of growth is shorter.