4 SEPAEATION OF SEED BARLEY BY GRAVITY METHOD. 



half barrels with a hole bored at the bottom of each and fitted with 

 a pine plug. On the inside of the tub fine wire netting is tacked 

 over the hole to prevent the loss of grain. Rope handles fitted in 

 holes bored near the top facilitate handling. One tub is set above 

 the other, as shown in figure 1. 



The method of procedure used in separating the grain is as follows; 

 The upper tub is filled two-thirds full of water anil the seed barley 

 poured in, enough space being left to allow thorough stirring. The 

 plump barley grains will sink to the bottom, while the light and 

 shriveled barlev and manv of the oat and weed seeds w^ill float on 



Fig. 1.— Tubs showing a convenient arrangement for removing undesirable iiarley grains and oat and weed 

 seeds from seed barley by the specific gravity methoil. 



the surface wlieii the grain is stirred. After stirring thoroughly, the 

 grain that floats should be carefully skimmed off. When the skim- 

 ming is completed, the plug should be pulled out and the water 

 allowed to drain into the tub beneath. The grain should then be 

 emptied from the upper tub upon a clean floor or a piece of canvas 

 and spread out thinly to dry. The tubs can then be reversed and 

 the operation repeated with another lot of grain. In order to dry 

 the grain and prevent it from sprouting it should be stirred occa- 

 sionally with a clean garden rake or shovel. 



This selected seed should be sown as soon as it is sulliciently dry 

 to run through the drill. As the seed will be somewhat swollen, the 



[Cir. 012 J 



