508 FIELD AND GARDEN PRODUCTS 



cappend when wet. In sections of the West where high winds pre- 

 vail, barley is usually shocked without capping, as the caps blow off 

 and the quality of the grain in such sheaves is injured by lying on 

 the ground. 



Barley while in the shock is frequently injured by heavy rains 

 Moisture not only discolors the grain, but if excessive may also 

 cause it to sprout. Opening the shocks is the only remedy. The 

 common method is to scatter the bundles on the ground, but "as there 

 is danger that the grain in contact with the soil will absorb sufficient 

 moisture to cause further injury, the method practiced in Germany 

 and by farmers in some localities in the United States is recom- 

 mended. When the shocks are opened the first bundle is laid flat 

 on the stubble; the second and succeeding bundles are then laid 

 across the middle of the preceding ones, the butt ends resting on the 

 ground and the heads projecting beyond the bundles upon which 

 they rest, the object being to keep the grain off the ground. By lap- 

 ping the bundles in this way the heads are kept off the ground and 

 are exposed to the action of the air, so that they dry out quickly. 

 Even though rained on while in this position, they will soon dry 

 and will be damaged less than if lying on the ground. 



Barley should not 'be stacked until the grain has at least partly 

 cured in the shock, especially when the bundles contain weeds or 

 grass. Insufficient curing in the shock may cause heating, dis- 

 coloration, and germination during the sweating process in the 

 stack. If the grain is fully ripe when cut it can be stacked in a few 

 days. In the semiarid regions some growers stack as soon as the 

 crop is cut. 



The general opinion among the most successful growers in 

 the West is that stacking gives better results both in color and 

 soundness, two important factors in regulating the price of barley. 

 Barley is generally more difficult to stack than wheat or oats be- 

 cause of the shortness of the straw. As it does not shed water as 

 readily as wheat or oats, it is better to stack in slender, circular 

 stacks, rather than in the extremely large ones commonly seen in 

 the West. 



If the grain stands in the shock for some time, the cap sheaves 

 often become discolored from rains or heavy dews. If these are 

 thrashed with the bundles which have been protected, the discol- 

 ored kernels will be mixed with the brighter grain and the market 

 value of the whole lessened. If the cap sheaves are thrashed sep- 

 arately the discolored grain may be kept for feeding on the farm, 

 as color does not materially affect the feeding value; but when 

 barley is long exposed to the weather some loss is occasioned by 

 the leaching out of some of the soluble constituents of the grain. 



Care should be used in thrashing. If the concaves are set too 

 close many grains will be cracked or broken and the awns will be 

 broken off too close to the grain, thus considerably reducing its 

 viability and market value. 



Storing the Grain. Barley should be carefully housed after 

 thrashing, as it rapidly absorbs moisture and is easily influenced 



