BAR 



BAR 



ley, often contributes to increase tliis 



evil, as lias been hinted before. 



The principal use of barley in this 

 country is to convert it into malt for 

 brewing and distilling. The best and 

 heaviest grain is chosen for this pur- 

 pose, and, as it must have its germi- 

 nating power unimpaired, the least 

 discoloration, from rain or heating in 

 the stack, renders it suspected, and 

 consequently not so saleable. It is, 

 however, still fit for being ground 

 into meal for feeding cattle and pigs. 



The produce of barley, on land 

 well prepared, is from 30 to 50 bush- 

 els and more per acre, weighing from 

 45 to 55 lbs. per bushel. It is said 

 to contain 65 per cent, of nutritive 

 matter ; wheat contains 78 per cent. 

 A bushel of barley weighing 50 lbs. 

 therefore contains about 32 lbs. of 

 nutriment, while a bushel of wheat 

 weighing 60 lbs. contains 47 lbs. 

 Good oats weighing 40 lbs. contain 

 about 24 lbs. of nutritive substance, 

 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 cal- 

 culation is founded were carefully 

 made by Einhof, and confirmed, on a 

 large scale, by Thaer, at his estab- 

 lishment at Mogelin, the account of 

 the results being accurately kept. 



On all pood loamy soils barley is a 

 more profitable crop than oats, and 

 rs supposed to exhaust the soil less. 

 On stiff, cold clays it does not thrive 

 so well, and there oats are to be pre- 

 ferred. In some districts, where the 

 best barley is grown, the farmers sel- 

 dom sow oats, and many prefer buy- 

 ing them for their own use, with the 

 additional expense of market and car- 

 riage. 



Barley in its green state makes ex- 

 cellent spring food for milch cows ; 

 it comes in early, and greatly increas- 

 es the milk. It is also very good for 

 horses, provided it be given sparing- 

 ly at first, as it purges them ; but af- 

 ter a little time, when the stomach 

 becomes accustomed to it, it increas- 

 es their flesh and condition wonder- 

 fully, and is much more wholesome 



than the usual spring physic, aa it an- 

 swers the purpose of gently clearing 

 the intestines without any risk of ir- 

 ritation. For sheep it is more nour- 

 ishing than rye, and comes earlier ; 

 when fed off quite close in April, it 

 will spring up again, and, on good 

 land, produce a fair crop of grain. 



M. Theodore de Saussure has care- 

 fully analyzed the aslies produced by 

 burning barley and Us straw, and we 

 shall close this article with the re- 

 sult of his experiments. — {Recherches 

 Chimiques sur la Vegetation, Paris, 

 1804.) 



The grain reduced to ashes with its 

 skin gave, out of 100 parts, 18 of ash- 

 es, which contained : 



Potass 18 



Phosphate of potass . 92 

 Sulphate of potass . . 1-5 

 Muriate of potass . . 0-25 

 Earthy phosphates . . 32-5 

 Earthy carbonates . 



Silica 35-5 



Metallic oxides . . . 025 

 Loss 2-8 



100 



1000 parts of the straw produced 42 

 of ashes, containing : 



Potass .... 



Sulphate of potass . 



Muriate of potass . 



Earthy phosphates . 



Earthy carbonates . 



Silica .... 



Metallic oxides . 



Loss .... 



16 

 35 



05 

 7-75 

 125 

 57 

 5 

 225 



100 



These products no doubt vary in 

 different soils ; but the proportion of 

 silica in the straw and in the skin of 

 barley is remarkable. This barley 

 grew in a chalky soil. — ( W. L. Rham.) 



BARLEY, POT. Barley of which 

 the outer husk or skin has been re- 

 moved. 



BARLEY, PEARL. The small 

 round kernel which remains after the 

 skin and a considerable portion of the 

 barley have been ground off. 



BARLEY GRASSES. Grasses of 

 the genus Hordeum. They are coarse, 

 and of little moment in agriculture, 



BARM. Leaven, yeast. 



