176 BRITISH HUSBANDRY. [Ch. XII. 



in order to break the crust wliich will have been thus formed, and through 

 which the young sprouts would find difficulty in forcing their way. It is 

 also useful even if rain should not have fallen, as it aids tlie subsequent 

 sowing of the clover. This, however, is rather a dangerous operation, for 

 the plants, if already sprouted, are extremely brittle, and easily broken ; it 

 should, therefore, if possible, be always performed before they rise. If done 

 afterwards, very light wooden-teethed harrows should be used ; and the 

 work should not be commenced until late in the evening, as the stems ot 

 the plants will be then more pliable than during the heat of the day. 



The water-furrows and drains should then be cleaned out, and this closes 

 the field-operations until the ensuing harvest, unless weeds should appear, 

 in which case they should be immediately pulled up by hand, without 

 regard to the expense ; for, if not extirpated at once, they will obtain firm 

 possession of the land, as the succeeding crop of clover will prevent their 

 being destroyed by the plough. 



PRODUCT AND QUALITY 



depend not only on the soil, but vary so much in the different kinds, that 

 in an experiment made in 1833, under the sanction of the East Lothian 

 Agricultural Society, upon the chevalier and a common sort of barley, both 

 sown on a light gravelly soil, the produce of each per imperial acre was — 



Chevalier, G5 B. 2 P. of grain, weighing 56|lbs. per bush.: and of straw 4251 lbs. 



Common, 61 ,, 2 „ ditto ditto r)4-|lbs. „ „ ditto 3733 „ 



The seed was sown after a crop of turnips and mangel-wurzel, only one 

 third of which appears to have been eaten upon the ground ; yet barley 

 may be generally considered to yield only an average product upon soils 

 well adapted to its growth of about four to five quarters per imperial 

 acre ; though crops of much larger amount are continually grown in 

 favourable seasons upon rich and well cultivated land. The weight of the 

 good qualities of the common two-rowed species may also be averaged, 

 when grown upon such soils, at about 531bs. per bushel, while that of bigg 

 is frequently under 40lbs., and rarely exceeds 461bs. per bushel. The 

 nutritive properties of the former have been estimated, according to an 

 analysis made by Sir Humphry Davy, as containing in 100 parts, 

 79 per cent, of mucilage, or starch ; 

 7 ditto of saccharine matter ; and 

 6 ditto of gluten or albumen. 

 This applies, however, only to some grown in Norfolk, a county which is 

 celebrated forthe production of the finest species,and is given without reference 

 to any distinction in quality. An extraordinary difference, however, exists in 

 the various kinds, and particularly between those grown in the midland and 

 southern counties of England and in Scotland, as well as Ireland. The 

 weight of the former is generally perliaps from three to four pounds heavier 

 than the latter; but, even when less weighty, it yields more meal, as well 

 as more pot and pearl barley, and is far superior in its malting properties, 

 and its consequent production of distilled spirits. 



Thus, upon a fair experiment made '. ■'-'--'>r. ^al quantities of 

 Norfolk barley and some produced in one of the most fertile and best 

 cultivated Scottish counties, both malted by the same person, it was 

 found that, although the Scotch weighed about 3lbs. per boll more than 

 the Norfolk, yet the latter yielded two gallons more of spirits. 



So likewise upon an average of several scientific experiments, made 

 some years ago by order of the House of Commons, and some learned 

 observations afterwards made upon them, by Dr. Skene Smith, for the 



