BARLEY. 



enables a man to reap twice as much 

 corn in tlie same time with this in- 

 strmnent as with the reaping hook. 

 Binding into sheaves is a great ad- 

 vantage ; much less corn fs shed, 

 which, in the common method of ra- 

 king into heaps, often amounts to 

 more than would fully sow the same 

 extent of land. The sheaves set up 

 on end are in less danger from the 

 weather, and when the stack is built 

 all the ears may be laid inward and 

 much grain saved, which, if on the 

 outside, would soon be the prey of 

 birds : smaller stacks may be made, 

 and the danger of heating entire- 

 ly avoided. The stacks should be 

 built on frames, supported by stone 

 or cast-iron pillars, with Hat caps on 

 them to keep out vermm ; and, in 

 large stacks, it is useful to have a 

 kind of open cage in the middle, to 

 allow the admission of air to the cen- 

 tre. This dries the grain better than 

 a kiln, and when the stack is proper- 

 ly thatched with straw, the crop may 

 be considered as safe till it is carried 

 into the barn to be thrashed. 



Barley requires care in thrashing, 

 to break off all the awns close to the 

 grain. A thrashing machine does not 

 accomplish this perfectly by only once 

 passing the straw through the roll- 

 ers ; it is consequently usually put 



through a second time, especially if 

 it has not been tied into sheaves. It 

 is often necessary, after the barley 

 is thrashed, to effect this by another 

 operation, which is called kummeUng, 

 for which purpose several different 

 kinds of instruments are used. A sim- 

 ple one consists of a cylinder com- 

 posed of small bars of iron, and placed 

 on an axis, which is rolled backward 

 and forward over the grain ; or, 

 where a thrashing machine is used, 

 a plate of iron, perforated like a nut- 

 meg grater, is fixed to the inside of 

 the drum in which the beaters re- 

 volve, and the awns are effectually 

 broken off by this rough surface 



The diseases to which barley is sub- 

 ject while growing are those which 

 attack all other grain — the smut, the 

 burned ear, blight, and mildew ; but 

 it is less liable to these than wheat. 

 The greatest enemy is a wet harvest. 

 It is so apt to germinate with the 

 least continuance of moisture, that, 

 even before it is reaped, it often ex- 

 hibits an ear in full vegetation, every 

 grain having sprouted (see figure) 

 It is then of little value, and even 

 when this is checked by dry weather 

 or in the kiln, the grain is so impaired 

 as to be fit only to feed fowls and 

 pigs. A strong plant of clover, by 

 keeping the wet longer about the bar- 



tPremature germination of an ear of barley.] 



6^,, 



