BARLEY. 



BARLEY. 



found corn growing on the coast of Kent, it is 

 probable that this species of grain had been 

 obtained from Gaul. 



In the rotation of crops, barley may succeed 

 to summer fallow, to potatoes, turnips, or any 

 other green crop, and to any of the pulse crops. 

 It now generally follows turnips in England, 

 and is a very important crop in the rotation, 

 best adapted to light soils. The principal bar- 

 ley counties of England are Norfolk, Suffolk, 

 Cambridge, Bedford, Herts, Leicester, Notting- 

 ham, the upper parts of Hereford, Warwick, 

 and Salop. The produce varies according to 

 soil, preparation, season, &c., from about 25 

 to 60 or 70 bushels an acre. The usual crop 

 is from 28 to 36 or 38 bushels. The Winches- 

 ter bushel of good English barley generally 

 weighs about 50 Ibs.; but the best Norfolk bar- 

 ley sometimes weighs 53 or 54 Ibs. Its pro- 

 duce in flour is about 12 Ibs. to 14 Ibs. of the 

 grain. 



Barley is said to contain 65 per cent, of nu- 

 tritive matter ; wheat contains 78 per cent. A 

 bushel of barley weighing 50 Ibs. will there- 

 fore contain about 32 Ibs. of nutriment; while 

 a bushel of wheat weighing 60 Ibs. contains 

 47 Ibs. Good oats weighing 40 Ibs. contain 

 about 24 Ibs. of nutritive matter; so that the 

 comparative value of wheat, barley, and oats, 

 in feeding cattle, may be represented by 47, 

 32, and 24, the measure being the same. The 

 experiments on which this calculation is 

 founded were carefully made by Einhof, and 

 confirmed on a large scale by Thaer, at his 

 establishment at Mogelin, the account of the 

 results being accurately kept. 



Barley is a tender plant, and easily hurt in 

 any stage of its growth. It is more hazardous 

 than wheat, and is, generally speaking, raised 

 at a greater expense, so that its cultivation 

 should not be attempted except where the soil 

 and climate are favourable for its growth. 

 There is no grain perhaps more affected (says 

 Baxter, in his Lib. of Agr. Knowledge, p. 36,) 

 by soil and cultivation than barley, the same 

 species exhibiting opposite qualities, modified 

 by the nature of the soil from which it is pro- 

 duced ; these opposite productions of the same 

 individual will, if sown at the same period, on 

 the same land, and under the same course of 

 cultivation, exhibit corresponding differences, 

 which are manifested during the growth of the 

 crop, and subsequently in the quality of the 

 sample when in hand. Thus the finest sam- 

 ples, the growth of suitable and well-cultivated 

 lands, would, if sown on a poor and sterile 

 soil, become alike coarse in appearance, and 

 indifferent in quality. This fact, however im- 

 portant, has hitherto but little engaged the at- 

 tention of the farmer; and the spring or early 

 barley is therefore indiscriminately sown, as 

 being found more productive for the purpose 

 of malting than any of the afore-mentioned 

 varieties. The sprat, or battledore barley, 

 makes good malt; and being short and erect 

 3| the ear, and tapering in the stem, is, on 

 strong lands, less liable to injury from falling, 

 and is consequently preferred by a few indi- 

 viduals. The common, or long-eared barley, 

 being long in the ear and weak in the straw, 

 is very liable to lodge early, whereby the grain 

 142 



is rendered inferior in quality, and is, there- 

 fore, not extensively cultivated. Naked bar- 

 ley, or wheat barley, is so termed in conse- 

 quence of the grain separating readily from 

 the chaff when thrashed. It is a native of the 

 north, and will bear sowing early in the sea- 

 son; it is not, however, in much estimation 



| in the south of England, and is seldom culti- 

 vated, although it makes strong malt, and is 



{ excellent for fattening of hogs and cattle. Win- 

 ter barley, or square-eared barley, is grown to 

 a considerable extent in the north-western part 

 of England, and in Scotland. It is usually 

 sown for the feeding of sheep in the south of 

 England, and mixed with tares for the soiling 

 of cattle. As food for sheep, it is far more 

 productive than rye, as it admits of being fed 

 down every two or three days during summer; 

 and if intended for seed, it may previously be 

 fed off by sheep early in the season, without 

 injury to the crop. 



The land that produces the best barley is 

 generally of a silicious, light, dry nature ; for 

 a good mellow preparation and free soil are 

 essential to the growth of malting barleys. 

 Cold, wet soils, which are peculiarly retentive 

 of water, are ill adapted to the growth of this 

 grain, both in reference to its weight and its 

 malting qualities. The whole matter of bar- 

 ley and its straw contains more silicious par- 

 ticles than that of any other grain cultivated 

 by the British farmer; and hence one reason 

 why a sandy soil is most congenial to the 

 growth of this plant. Barley is propagated by 

 seed, sown either broadcast or in drills, the 

 quantity varying according to the quality of 

 the soil, cultivation, and time of sowing ; less 

 being required on rich mellow lands than on 

 poor soils ; early sowing, with good tillage, re- 

 quiring less seed than the late sowing with in- 

 different tillage. The quantity of seed gene- 

 rally varies from 2 to 4 bushels the acre (or 

 sometimes more), when sown broadcast; but 

 when drilled, the quantity of seed need not ex- 

 ceed two bushels to the acre. 



Barley is an early ripening grain. It may 

 be sown at a late period, but the sooner the 

 better. The more early that barley can be 

 sown, the produce in grain is the surer, though 

 the bulk of the straw will be less. The com- 

 mon sprat barleys may be sown from the 

 second week in March, if the weather prove 

 dry, until the 10th of May. The bigg, a variety 

 of the winter barley, will stand against the 

 wind, and may be sown either in the autumn 

 or the beginning of March. The bear, or 

 square barley, should be sown as early in the 

 autumn as the clearing of the harvest will 

 admit, and may be sown after wheat, barley, 

 oats, or any pulse crop, being a plant of sturdy 

 growth. In the choice of seed, great care 

 should be taken that it is not of a reddish hue, 

 as in that case it is more than probable that a 

 great part of it will never vegetate ; the sample 

 should be of a pale, lively colour, and uniform. 

 Some farmers, not aware of its importance, are 

 in the habit of sowing thin corn; but unless 

 the land is quite adapted, from its nature and 

 cultivation, for the fullest encouragement of 

 the plant, it will in the end be found a "penny- 

 wise and pound-foolish" speculation. In all 



