BARLEY. 33 



of this or any one of the cereal grains. It is calculated for northern 

 climates, as in Italy and France the ears are small and husky. A warm 

 climate is as uncongenial to it as a cold one is to rice. In Scotland and 

 Ireland, where it is a principal food, it is said to be cultivated in the 

 proportion of 10 bushels to one of any other grain. In 1765, 623.000 

 persons in England and Wales were estimated to be consumers of oats. 

 Ireland exported in 1825, chiefly to England, 12.025.632 bushels, in 

 grain and in meal 204.607 qrs., or 1.636.936 bushels. France pro- 

 duces about 90 millions of bushels, 25 millions of which are used for 

 food, mostly in the southern provinces. Oats are largely shipped from 

 Odessa, as the product of southern Russia. The crop of last year in 

 the United States was 150.883.617 bushels, being an increase on the 

 crop of 1840 of more than 50 millions of bushels ; of this, New-York 

 and Pensylvania raised over 24 millions each. 



BARLEY Hordeum, C 3, O 2, Graminee, sp. 9-12, Ds. A. J 1 ft. 

 This is considered in England next to wheat in importance, but it is 

 less so here than Indian corn, rye, rice or oats. As a bread corn it is 

 now less esteemed abroad than formerly, but it continues to be greatly 

 used in the manufacture of beer and other spirits. Eastern traditions 

 have it that this was the earliest grain used as food for man, and to 

 this as well as to other grains they ascribed remarkable peculiarities. 

 But, with the Eastern people, as with our Indians and other reputedly 

 ignorant people, what was not understood was referred to some super- 

 natural agency, nor was this more apparent then, perhaps, than at the 

 present comparatively enlightened period of the world. The seed of 

 barley rarely if ever germinates, if sown by chance; while some of the 

 grasses classed with barley are never found to be useful as human food, 

 or susceptible of material improvement by culture. 



Barley is capable of a wider range of cultivation than wheat, sus- 

 taining as it does greater heat and maturing more readily in the brief 

 summers of northern climates where wheat will not ripen. It is indeed 

 the earliest sown and the earliest reaped of the summer grains. The 

 season of maturing is often not longer than 6 or 7 weeks. Two crops 

 of it are annually obtained from the same soil in Spain and Sicily. 

 It thrives best on light dry soil, but it is nevertheless an expensive 

 grain. It is reckoned next to wheat in Great Britain, on account of 

 its malting qualities ; and is there much used as food for the people, 

 and also for fattening black cattle, poultry, etc. The barley consum- 

 ers in England are estimated at 730.000. The usual crop is from 25 

 to 35 bushels of 50 Ibs. per acre. The sale rate is 48 Ibs. per bushel. 

 The crop of the United States last year was but 3.871.622 bushels ; 

 and this, probably, chiefly for brewing and emigrants. 



Excessive moisture is extremely injurious to it. If this is felt be- 

 fore the formation of the ear, the leaves become yellow and sickly and 

 the ears may not appear ; if afterwards, the grain sprouts arid the ear 



