Grains and Forage Crops 103 



Dry Plowing for Grain. 



We have land that zve could very easily plozv now zvith our traction 

 engine and improved plows, but the people here claim that it does not 

 pay to dry-plozv, that is, before the land has had a good rain on it and 

 the vegetation has started. I believe in dry plowing. Two of our oldest 

 fanners in Merced county dry-plowed, that is, they commenced plozcing 

 as soon as harvesting was over. 



If the rainfall is small and likely to come in light showers, dry 

 plowing, if it turns up the land in large clods, miglit yield poorer 

 results than land which is plowed after rain, because there would be 

 so much moisture lost b}' drying out from the coarse surface when 

 it came in amounts not adequate for deep penetration. Plowing after 

 the rain for the purpose of killing out the foul stuff which starts is, 

 however, quite another consideration. It is a fact that dry plowing 

 and sowing is not now desirable in some places where it was formerly 

 accepted, because the land has become so foul as to give a rank 

 growth of weeds which choke out the grain at its beginning. Such 

 land can be cleaned by one or two shallow plowings and cultivations 

 after there is moisture enough to start the weeds to growing. These 

 are local questions which you will have to settle by observation. In 

 a general way, it is true that opening the surface of the ground 

 before the ranis, reduces the run-off and loss of moisture, but 

 whether there would be any loss of moisture by run-off or not depends 

 upon the slope of the land and also upon the way in which the rain 

 comes, and the total amount of moisture which is available for the 

 season. 



Sub-varieties of California Barley. 



Can you tell zvhere I can buy seed of varieties of California six- 

 rowed barley, described as "pallidum" and "coerulescens," and zvhat the 

 seed will cost? 



No one knows where the six-rowed barley, known as "common" 

 barley in this State, came from, nor when it came. It has been here 

 since the early days and it has naturally shown a disposition to vary, 

 so that it is quite possible to select a number of types from any large 

 field of it. These variations have been studied to some extent by 

 Eastern students who are endeavoring to develop American types of 

 barley for brewing purposes as likely to be better than the brewing 

 varieties which are famous in Europe. In Europe brewing barleys 

 are chiefly two-rowed. Under California conditions the plant is able 

 to develop just as good brewing grains on a six-rowed basis, and this 

 seems to be a commendable trait in the way of multiplying the prod- 

 uct. The names "pallidum" and "coerulescens" indicate t\yo of these 

 varieties recognized by Eastern students. It is not possible at this 

 time to get even a pound of selected grain true to this type, and no 

 one knows when it will be worked out to available quantities. 



