f tJNlvl 

 CEREAL CROPS 231 



294. Barley. — While wheat and barley belong to 

 the same general class of cereals, they differ greatly in 

 their habits and food requirements. Barley is a 

 stronger feeding crop, has a greater root development 

 near the surface, and can utilize food in cruder forms. 

 In many of the western states, soils which produce 

 poor wheat crops, from too long cultivation, give ex- 

 cellent yields of barley. This is due to changed con- 

 ditions, of both the chemical and mechanical composi- 

 tion of the soil. Long cultivation has made the soil 

 porous and reduced the nitrogen content. Barley 

 thrives best on a rather open soil and has greater ni- 

 trogen assimilative powers than wheat. Barley, how T - 

 ever, responds liberally to manuring, particularly to ni- 

 trogenous manures. The experiments of Law T es and 

 Gilbert on the growth of barley are briefly summa- 

 rized in the following table. 75 



Average Yield of Barley Per Acre for 34 Years. 



Bushels. 



No manure 17! 



Superphosphate alone 23! 



Mixed minerals 24^ 



Nitrogen alone 3o| 



Nitrogen and superphosphate 45 



Farmyard manures 49^ 



295. Oats. — Oats are capable of obtaining food un- 

 der more adverse conditions than either barlev or 

 wheat. They are also less exacting as to soil require- 

 ments. The oat plant will adapt itself to either sandy 



