214 SMALL GRAINS 



Types of Barley. There are three main types of barley, 

 based upon the number of rows of grain in the head six, four, or 

 two rows (Fig. 157). The six-row variety is far the most common 

 in America. Hulless varieties of barley are sometimes preferred 

 to those where the hull persists, but the yield is usually less and for 

 this reason the hull bearing varieties are more commonly grown. 

 The most common varieties of barley bear beards or spears in the 

 head. After threshing, the beards remain in the straw and sometimes 

 cause irritation of the mouths of livestock feeding upon the straw. 

 For this reason the beardless varieties are preferable for stock. 



The grain is used for both human food and stock feed, but the 

 bulk of the crop is often used for brewing purposes. The by-prod- 

 ucts from brewing are used for stock feed. They include brewers' 

 sprouts and grains, the latter being fed either as " dried grains" 

 or "wet grains." 



Hops for Brewing. In the brewing process, hops which have 

 been cured properly are extensively used. Hop growers make 

 a specialty of producing their crop of the right quality and 

 curing it in perfect condition to suit the particular brewers to 

 whom they sell the product. Hops are grown in special districts 

 in all parts of the country. In some sections where the soil is 

 favorable, the production is very intense, and many hop growers 

 are found. Methods of growing hops are well described in United 

 States Farmers' Bulletin 304, "Growing and Curing of Hops." 



Culture for Barley. The barley crop is usually seeded in the 

 spring a little later than oats. It may be either drilled or broad- 

 casted at the rate of seven to eleven pecks per acre. In warm 

 climates the crop is started in the fall. This causes the plants to 

 stool out much more. 



Care must be exercised to harvest the crop before it is too ripe, 

 chiefly to avoid discoloration. When the grain is shocked care 

 must be taken to avoid wetting by rain, as this may also result 

 in discoloring of the heads. Brewers prefer the clear grain. 



RYE 



Rye is of more recent origin than the other small cereals, and 

 was not grown by Roman farmers. 



This crop may be grown throughout the wheat-growing areas 

 of America, but the states where it is most grown are Pennsyl- 

 vania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Nebraska, 

 New Jersey and Illinois. 



