4S4
ON THE ARABLE LAND
per Scotch acre, or an acre and a quarter English measure;and the other parts of that country are said to average 40bushels to the same acre. These are certainly productivecrops, if the grain were generally saleable *.
Itye has likewise been cultivated for ages in the Hebrides or Western Islands of Scotland , where it was probably in-troduced by the Norwegians, who anciently held the domi-nion of these islands. It is there sown in spring on sandysoils manured with sea-weed, and is reckoned more profit-able than the miserable grey oats which are usually cultiva-ted by these islanders. Of late years, some of the most in-telligent cultivators there have discontinued the cultivationof rye, being persuaded that it is an impoverishing and un-profitable crop. Its straw is of little value as fodder, thoughexcellent for thatch ; and wherever it can be grown to anyadvantage, more beneficial crops of oats or barley might pro-bably be raised f.
The only species of rye known to agriculturists is the Se-cale cercale of botanists, but'of this species there may be ma-ny varieties. That which is grown in the Hebrides is anearly or spring variety, and is only sown at that season. Itis a weaker plant, having a smaller grain, and its produce ismuch inferior to that from the winter variety, which oughtalways to be sown in autumn, and to be chosen where it isproper to cultivate rye. Land at a moderate rent, having alight soil, clean, and in good tilth, but unable to carry wheat,may, it is said, be profitably occupied with rye, which, insome parts of Scotland , has been known to afford a cropworth eight or nine pounds the acre, where the value of acrop of oats would not have exceeded six pounds J.
Rye is grown on some light soils on the coast of Cantyrc,and being well adapted to such soils, might there be no un-.