106 FARM CROPS 



has been well fertilized with barnyard manure. Ex- 

 cellent yields are secured after alfalfa or root crops. 

 The crop matures in about 100 days for seeding, 

 and requires a rich, warm, easily penetrated seed 

 bed, well supplied with plant food, for it is dis- 

 tinctly a surface-feeding crop. 



As barley is grown for two principal purposes, 

 it requires fertilizing in accordance with the use 

 to be made of it, since the composition is influenced 

 by the fertilizer. For malting, a grain rich in starch 

 is sought. Many experiments have shown that 

 fertilizers of high potash content tend to produce a 

 heavy grain with a large proportion of starch. For 

 feeding purposes a high protein content is desired. 

 Very rich soils, or those highly fertilized with barn- 

 yard manure or other nitrogenous manures, produce 

 a heavy growth of straw and grain of good protein 

 content. When grown for feeding, fertilizer mix- 

 tures carrying relatively large amounts of phos- 

 phoric acid and nitrogen should be used. Super- 

 phosphate, ground bone, dried blood and nitrate of 

 soda are satisfactory sources. 



Sowing. In the Northern states the seeding time 

 generally falls between the spring wheat and oat 

 seedings. The young plants are more tender and 

 sensitive to frost than wheat, and are easily injured 

 by cold rains or drouth. On average soils sow at 

 the rate of 2 bushels an acre. When sown on 

 rich land or broadcasted use 2^ bushels of seed. 

 The best depth to seed averages 3 inches and should 

 not be less than 2 nor more than 4. 



There are two classes of barley, one with hulls 

 and one without. The latter class is often called 

 naked or bald barley. The hulled class consists 

 of two-rowed, four-rowed and six-rowed types. 



