380 THE farmers' handbook. 



Varieties not Recommended. — Farmers are advised to be cautious in the 

 growing of introduced sorts until they have been tested under our conditions. 

 A.8 varieties of this kind are sometimes advertised, brief descriptions of a few 

 may be useful. 



" O.A.C. 21 " barley originated in Canada, where it is very successfully 



grown. It is very early, but stools sparsely, and has given very 



fair yields here for silage. It is not quite so good as Skinless, 



and for grain it is risky to grow, as the brittle neck causes a 



large percentage of ears to break oft' wh>n ripe. 

 " Black Hulless " or Purple Skinless is a variety resembling Skinless, 



but the grain is of a dark purple tint and the ear bearded. The 



beards, however, readily fall off, and the crop is easy to thresh. 



The yield is not quite equal to that of Skinless. 

 '■ Chevalier " is a class or race of two-row malting barley represented by 



the variety Kinver. Some of the Chevalier strains ripen rather 



late for our conditions. 

 '• Mariout " is a variety much grown in California, closely resembling 



Cape. 

 " Trebi," " California!!," and " Chilian " are variations of the Cape type. 

 " Shorthead " and " Roseworthy Oregon " are Algerian six-row barleys 



selected and grown successfully at Roseworthy Agriculture College. 



South Australia. They are productive here, but apparently not 



superior, on the whole, to the well-known Cape variety. 



Time and Rate of Sowing. 



May is the best month to sow in the warmer districts for gram : April in 

 the cooler parts of the State. The crop should ripen before the hot weather 

 sets in, and if sown much earlier or later than the months indicated the 

 grain is liable to be more or less shrivelled. Very early sowings induce 

 heavy stooling, and the plants are unable to fill the unduly large number 

 of heads. The quantity of seed usually drilled is about 50 lb. per acre, and 

 2 bushels if sown broadcast, as is general on the coast. If sown too thickly 

 the crop is very apt to lodge, and as barley stools freely there is no 

 advantage in heavy sowings. 



Manuring. 



The requirements of barley are much the same in this respect as those of 

 wheat, a similar amount of superphosphate being used and, if necessary, a 

 little potash fertiliser. Large applications of fertiliser are only necessary 

 on very poor land, but it should be borne in mind that barley is a short-lived 

 plant ; its roots grow rapidly ; they are ill-adapted to surmount obstacles 

 such as are presented by a compact soil or to utilise fertilising matters which 

 are not ready and waiting to be assimilated. 



Harrowing and Feeding-off. 



Harrowing is not often necessary, as it is with wheat, though circumstances 

 may arise in which rolling followed by harrowing will be beneficial, or a stroke 

 of the harrow alone. 



AVhere the crop is grown for seed it is not advisable to feed-off unless the 

 winter has been mild and the growth too rank ; in such a case it should be 

 thoroughly fed down with sheep. There is no crop that responds better 

 after being fed off with sheep than barley, provided the land is not tramped 

 out of condition ; but it is not wise to put stock on to the crop if cold, frosty 

 weather has set in. 



