Agronomy Mimeo. No. 19
May, 1941
Division of Agronomy, Purdue University
Department of Agricultural Extension
Rye grass, also listed as domestic rye grass, is mainly Italian rye grass with a little English, either mixed in or hybridized, or both.
Rye grass is a winter annual or at best a short lived perennial,
Seeded in the late summer or early fall it ripens the following summer and then dies. Subsequent growth must come from volunteer Seedings or reseedings. It Is often included in lawn mixtures, because it makes a very rapid growth and is distinctive with its shiny leaves.
Adaptation:	The place of rye grass on Indiana farms is yet to be de-
termined since Its winter hardiness Is not known. For the past few years it has appeared decidedly promising in Kentucky where better stands were secured on thin soils than with any other grass. Estimates indicate 175,000 acres seeded in Kentucky in 1939.
Rye grass is coming into rapid use as a winter cover crop in Pennsylvania, sown in corn, usually at the last cultivation. It is reported as quite promising in Missouri. In a seeding of different grasses alone in the fall of 1937, Ohio reports that rye grass outyielded everything- except timothy in 1938. Rye grass may also be seeded in the spring to serve for early summer pasture, in place of oats, or to be used as a nurse crop for other legumes and. grasses. When used in this way under the AAA it need not be clipped as required for oats and may even be harvested for seed.
Possibilities:
1.	As a seed crop rye grass is quite productive so that seed prices are quite reasonable.
2.	Its heavy rooting and quick growth make it especially promising as_a soil binding winter cover to prevent erosion and to serve as fall and early  spring pasture.
3.	It is an excellent companion crop with crimson clover and vetches where either may be grown. The combination of rye grass and legumes makes a better growth than either sown alone.
4.	Where lespedeza is pastured, cut for hay, or harvested for seed, the seeding or rye grass on the unprepared seed bed will prevent erosion. and furnish additional pasture. (For best results, especially in dry seasons, seed should be covered with harrow or grain drill.)
5.	Seeded in corn at the last cultivation or later it makes a better cover and develops a stronger root system than rye. Likewise it may be seeded on other unprepared land that would otherwise remain unprotected
6.	Because of its rapid growth rye grass may serve well to thicken up temporarily otherwise poor stands of pastures and meadows.
7.	Rye grass may well be included as a part of a pasture mixture, seeded In the fall or spring with other grasses and legumes, to furnish additional early grazing while the slower growing grasses become established in such cases not more than 5 lbs. of rye grass per acre should be used and less on fertile soils.
8. Rye grass is a good seed producer and may be grown as a cash crop where hardy and adapted. In Kentucky seed yields have varied from 200 to 1200 lbs. per acre. It may be cut with a binder and