106 



THE GENESEE FARMER 





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Italian barley (fig. 3) is a remarkable variety, both 

 in appearance and general habit of growth. The 

 cars are short and broad, and the grains are extraor- 

 dinarily plump and round, having 

 a clear yellow, transparent husk. 

 The straw is of a bright yellow 

 hue, (hence this variety is frequently 

 called Golden barley,) and is stiffer, 

 taller and more erect than any of 

 the other varieties, and on this ac- 

 count is particularly adapted for 

 sowing on rich black or soft soils, 

 which are apt to produce too much 

 bulk. It was introduced into Scot- 

 land from the Alps some years ago, 

 and was extensively cultivated, but 

 it is found to degenerate so rapidly 

 when grown for two or three years 

 on the same farm, that its cultiva- 

 tion is now nearly abandoned there. 

 It might suit our climate better. 

 The result of several experiments 

 in England ?how that it is very pro- 

 ductive, yielding, in one experiment, 

 52 bushels per acre, while the 

 Chevalier yielded only 43 bushels 

 per acre. Weight per bushel the 

 same (49 J lbs.) in both cases. 



The Common Four or Six Rowed 

 barley (tig. 4) differs very materially 

 from any of the foregoing two 

 rowed varieties. The ears are short- 

 er and thicker, and the grains are 

 arranged around the rachis in two 

 single and two double rows. The 

 single rows are opposite each other, 

 and when the double rows are re- 

 moved the appearance of the ear is exactly similar 

 to that of two rowed barley when deprived of the 

 chaffy-like matter (barren florets) between the rows. 

 The grains of the single rows are straight, and in the 

 plane of the rachis, while those of the double rows 

 diverge angvdarlyfrom each other. 

 Each double row is generally dis- 

 tinct at the base, but the grains 

 gradually assume a more upright 

 position towards the top, where 

 they merge into one. For this 

 reason four rowed barley cannot 

 be considered, as before stated, a 

 distinct species. In Ireland this 

 variety is usually sown as a winter 

 crop. A Scotch writer, speaking 

 of this variety, says : " When bere 

 is cultivated on good land, situated 

 in an early climate, the produce is 

 often greater than that yielded by 

 the two rowed barley ; yet not- 

 withstanding this, the price which 

 it fetches is so much lower that 

 the gross return per acre is less, 

 while at the same time the labor 

 of threshing and cleaning the graiu 

 is greater." In this vicinity, four 

 or six rowed barley is considered 

 by many farmers more pi'ofitable 

 than the two rowed, the yield being greater, and the 

 lualsters paying nearly as much for one as the other. 

 An improved variety of th? coniaion four or six 



Fig. 



rowed barley is cultivated in Great Britain under the 

 name of Victoria Bere, (fig. 5,) of which Lawson 

 says: " Its introduction may be considered as the first 

 step to the acquirement of superior varieties of the 

 old big, or bere, (fig. 4,) compared with which it pro- 

 duces longer straw, is longer eared, more prolific, and-i 

 produces a finer sample, sometimes weighing 56 lbs. ' 

 per bushel." 



The true Six Rowed barley (H. hexastichurn) — 

 fig. G — is interesting in a botanical point of view, but 

 of little value to the practical farmer. It differs 

 from the two former varieties (figs. 4 and 5) in having 

 all the rows equi-distant from each other. The ear is 

 short, and contains on an average only about thirty- 

 two coarse grains. It is hardy and prolific, and caa 

 be sown either in the fall or early in the spring. 



Four or Six Rowed jS^aked barley (fig. 7) diflera 

 from the common four or six rowed barley (fig. 4) in 

 its seeds, which separate from the chaff in tbreshingi^. 

 but the form of the ear is similar, although longer. 

 It is cultivated in the North of Eu- 

 rope, where its earlincss and rapid 

 growth suit the short summers, but in 

 England its cultivation has met with but I ffl jlljlflj'i'l'l' 

 little encouragement. It is sometimes 

 called Siberian barley. One of our 

 correspondents, a short time ago, sent 

 us a sample of grain, wishing us to in- 

 form him what it was, but neglected 

 to give us his post-office address. We 

 think it is Siberian barley; and if this 

 meets his eye, we should be glad to 

 hear from him in regard to it. We 

 think it will prove valuable in this 

 country. It was introduced into Eng- 

 land in 17G8. LA\ysoN states that 

 two bushels of it were grown in 1769, 

 weighing 132 lbs., or 66 ft»s. per 

 bushel ! These were tent to mill, " and 

 yielded 80 lbs. of fine flour, equal to 

 London seconds, 40 lbs. of coarse 

 sort, and 12 lbs. of bran, superior to 

 that of wheat. The best flour made 

 excellent bread, and so retentive of 

 moisture as to be as good at twelve 

 or fourteen days after baking as wheat- 

 en bread on the fourth day." (Wheat 

 bread in the moist climate of England 

 keeps moist and good much longer than in this conn- 

 try.) Twelve lbs. of barley and the samo of wheat 

 Sour, being made into bread and baked in the same 

 oven, the wheaten loaf weighed 15 lt)s. and the bar- 

 ley loaf 18 lbs. It is said to make good malt. ■^' 



Another variety of barley, similar to the Siberian; ' 

 was introduced into England from the Himmalayan 

 Mountains in 1817, called Nepaul barley, or Nepaul 

 wheat (H. trijiircatvm). It is not cultivated to any 

 extent in Great Britain. The same variety has been 

 introduced into this country and extensively dis- 

 tributed during the last two or three years, by Mr. I. 

 W. Briggs, of West Macedon, N. Y., under the 

 name of "Beardless' barley. Whether it will prove 

 of any more value in this country than it has in Eng- 

 land, remains to be eeen. 



The soils best adapted for barley are those which 

 are naturally dry and easily reduced to a fine tilth. It 

 should never be sown on pod Ir.nd. It is vain to hope 

 for a good crop unless the soil is thoroughly pulver- 

 ized. Some of the best crops of barley we have 



Fig. 7. 



