GRAINS AND FORAGE CROPS 39 



grain which is trying to grow in a soil crusted by rain and wind does in- 

 crease the yield by promoting the thrift of the plant and by reducing sur- 

 face evaporation, thus giving the plant more moisture to grow with. The 

 advantage of harrowing is most notable on heavy soils inclined to bake 

 and on lighter soils inclined to cement on top. It can be done to ad- 

 vantage when the grain is several inches high. There can be no date 

 for doing it, but it should not be delayed long after crusting begins, and 

 do not wait too long for rains. It is not often done more than once, but 

 it could be repeated to advantage in many cases. If it is taken in time, 

 only a light harrowing is required. 



Shocking Grain. 



Is it necessary, after binding grain, to turn the bundle so that the 

 heads of the grain are up hill? Does the grain fill better if this is done? 



Grain in the head is benefited by the passing of substance from the 

 straw to the head after cutting. Presumably it would work better if the 

 bundles in the shock should stand as the grain grows ; but that is not a 

 demonstration of it. There are other reasons why the head should stand 

 on the straw and not the straw on the head. One is the reduction of loss 

 by shattering; the other is the reduced danger of loss by storm water 

 the latter little in the dry harvest weather of California, but the total 

 may be about the same in favor of standing sheaves on their butts and 

 not on their heads. On the other hand, the chief advantage of shock- 

 ing, in California at least, is to get the benefit of slower curing, and the 

 enrichment of the head at the expense of the straw, before rapid drying 

 could stop the process. 



Oats or Barley in the San Joaquin. 



I have twenty acres of land which is checked and easily watered. This 

 land has produced two and one-half tons of fine oat hay per acre, and it 

 has produced over a ton of Egyptian corn per acre. I want to put it in 

 either oats or barley, with the idea of making grain. Farmers advise me 

 to put in oats, while the warehouse people advise barley. 



Barley is more apt to come through with a grain crop in your valley, 

 because it is less subject to rust with spring showers. But with oats you 

 can watch for rust and cut for hay if it threatens, or if grain prices are 

 low. This gives you more chances with oats because barley hay is not 

 so desirable for feeding and is much lower-priced. 



German Millet. 



Is it too late to sow German millet when you have about three months 

 to make hay before a freeze? 



German millet, or Hungarian grass, does not like dry heat. All 

 accounts we now have do not favor it for California interior situations, at 

 least. If you were sure of three -months' frost freedom, you could get 

 quite a growth of sorghum, for dry forage, if thickly broadcast and 



