STRUCTURE OF BARLEY 3I9 



has been considerably lessened by the introduction of the self- 

 binding harvester, and in the Western States by the header and 

 combined hanxster and thresher. As there are three spikelets 

 at each joint of the rachis, each joint bears six outer glumes. 

 There are three stamens and a double feathery stigma similar 

 to wheat. In the six-rowed t}'pe there are three spikelets at 

 each joint of the rachis, and these joints are close together, thus 

 forming a square, rather compact spike, which may be four or 

 six-rowed, depending upon whether or not the side rows overlap. 



439. The Grain. — The barley kernel, like the oat kernel, 

 remains enclosed, except in hull-less varieties, in the flowering 

 glume and palea, from which it is with some difficulty removed. 

 These parts are called the 

 hull, sometimes the husk. 

 In this book the car}'opsis 

 of the barley will be called 

 the kernel, and the kernel 

 plus the hull will be called 

 the grain. (^SS) Although 



the grain of barley is quite Selected grains of barley, natural size 



different in appearance from ^^^''' ^'"^•^^ '""^ ^^^"^^■^ 



a grain of wheat, when the hull is removed the resemblance is 

 quite close, having like wheat a deep furrow on the side oppo- 

 site the embr}-o. It is somewhat broader, with sides more 

 rounded and upper end more pointed. 



Barley grains are a little wider than thick, var}ing from one- 

 fifth to one-tenth of an inch in width, one-seventh to one-twelfth 

 of an inch in thickness, and from one-fourth to one-half of an 

 inch in length. The word barleycorn is sometimes used as a 

 measure of length, meaning one-third inch. The weight of loo 

 grains varies from 2.5 to five grams, the average being about 

 3.5 grams, or about 1.300 grains to the pound. In the six- 

 rowed barley the lateral grains are slightly smaller than the 

 central ones. Two-rowed varieties have plumper and longer 





