154 Effective Farming 



84. Climate and soils for barley. Although it can be grown 

 successfully in rather moist regions, a warm, dry climate is 

 best for barley. The crop can be produced successfully, 

 however, in nearly all parts of the United States and in many 

 sections of Canada. 



Soils for barley must be well drained. Fertile loams produce 

 the crop profitably, but on poor soils the yield of grain is low 

 and the straw is short. In some regions in which alkali is 

 prevalent, barley seems to do better than corn, oats, or wheat. 



85. Planting the seed. Somewhat better tilth of soil is 

 necessary for barley than for oats. When it is to be planted 

 in the fall, it is usually advisable to plow the land before seed- 

 ing. However, when the crop is to follow corn or potatoes a 

 good seed-bed is often made by disking and harrowing the 

 land instead of plowing it. When barley is to be seeded in the 

 spring, it is often a good plan to plow the land in the fall and 

 work it with a harrow early in the spring. If the plowing is 

 delayed until the spring, it should be done early and a mellow 

 seed-bed made before planting the seed. 



Barley may be either drilled or broadcasted, but drilling is 

 preferable, as higher yields result and, in the case of winter 

 barley, there is less likelihood of winter-killing. About six 

 or eight pecks is the usual acre-rate of seeding when drilled and 

 about ten pecks when broadcasted. In dry sections of the 

 West a lower rate, from three to four pecks, gives better results. 

 Spring-seeded barley is usually planted a little later than oats. 

 Winter barley in the North is usually planted in September or 

 the first part of October. In the South the seed is sown any 

 time between September 1 and December 1, depending on the 

 locality. 



86. Harvesting of barley. The grain should be in the hard- 

 dough stage when cut. The straw and heads at this stage will 

 be yellow. If cut too green the kernels will shrivel. The 

 grain is cut in the same manner as described for the other 

 cereals. Excessive weathering in the shock injures the ap- 



