THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



droop over and protect the soil surface 

 from sudden drying by wind or drouth. 



The experimental stage of speltz in 

 America seems to be over and all doubts 

 as to its usefulness have disappeared. It 

 will soon be generally planted in all locali- 

 ties where a cheap forage and stock cereal 

 is wanted. Poultrymen will find it an 

 ideal crop to grow for feeding for market. 

 It is superior to other grains, except corn 

 for feeding hogs, and the immense yields 

 from a given area make it a crop that 

 every farmer should grow. It should be 

 fed on the farm, where the hay and grain 

 can both be utilized. In fact, the main 

 secret of success in farming is the selling 

 of poultry, pork and beef made by the 

 farm crops, rather than disposing of the 

 grain and robbing the farm of its return- 

 able fertility. 



MONEY IN BARLEY. 



Barley is one of the most profitable 

 general crops that can be grown in all sec- 

 tions of the United . States. It can be 

 used for feed for poultry, hogs, stock and 

 horses and always commands' a good price 

 on the general market. The yield ranges 

 from 75 bushels to 150 bushels per acre 

 in the western states and a similar crop 

 may be obtained in older sections where 

 the soil is kept in good tilth and suitable 

 fertilizers are used. Barley sells for from 

 75 cents to $2.00 per bushel, the price de- 

 pending on the location of the market. 

 Crushed barley is always desirable for 

 feeding at livery barns and is much in de 

 mand for city feed stuff. 



The growing of barley dates back over 

 4,000 years, to the land of Egypt. It 

 was one of the most important cereals 

 grown on the Nile and was prized as a 

 food for man and beast. The Egyptians 

 crushed the grain and made a drink much 

 relished by all families. The flour was 

 used in making bread and soups and the 

 green cereal was boiled and cooked about 

 the same as rice. Straw was used in the 



brick yards and in covering houses and 

 barns or sheltering places for stock and 

 sheep. The women converted barley 

 straw into many fashionable articles for 

 home use and adornment. It was the all 

 purpose cereal throughout the country in 

 ancient times. 



There are three distinct varieties of bar- 

 ley, known as the two rowed and beard- 

 less. A new kind recently introduced in 

 the northwest, called Mansura, is of the 

 six rowed variety and is highly recom- 

 mended. The Highland Chief is a popu- 

 lar two rowed barley. The White Hulless 

 is a favorite with many growers. The Sil- 

 ver King is recommended as a great crop- 

 per, yielding as high as 173 bushels per 

 acre in Wisconsin. All varieties are good 

 stoolers and when sown in the fall make 

 excellent winter pasture. Pasturing does 

 not injure the plants unless too many 

 stock are put on the field early in the fall 

 or too late in the spring. 



Barley requires a rich, moist, loamy 

 soil, and will succeed better when sown 

 after a cultivated crop of potatoes or other 

 similar products. Land containing an ex- 

 cessive amount of vegetable decomposition 

 generally produces rank straw but not good 

 grain. If the land is low and wet or has 

 an abundance of clay, it will not give sat- 

 isfactory results. Barley grown for the 

 brewing market must be well fertilized to 

 give best results and yield profitable re- 

 turns. A fertilizer containing 9 per cent 

 available potash, 7 per cent phosphoric 

 acid and 5 per cent nitrogen, applied at 

 the rate of 500 to 1,000 pounds per acre 

 will give profitable returns. If too much 

 nitrogen is used the straw will lodge and 

 the grain will not fill properly. Instead of 

 this, a mixture of 200 to 300 pounds of 

 acid phosphate, 100 to 150 pounds of mu- 

 riate of potash and 100 to 125 pounds of 

 nitrate of soda can be substituted. 



Land for barley should be plowed as 

 early in the fall as possible and put into 

 good condition before sowing. If th 



