82 BARLEY 



a fine- tooth harrow. Ground that is " lumpy " after 

 disking should be run over with roller or planker previous 

 to harrowing. If ground is spring-plowed it should be run 

 over with fine-tooth harrow the same day that the plowing 

 is done, to prevent the surface of the furrows from becom- 

 ing dry and hard. 



Testing the Seed. All seed barley should be tested for 

 viability before sowing, as its vitality is often injured by 

 heating in the stack or bin. If the seed is of low vitality 

 and does not test as high as 90 per cent it should be re- 

 garded as inferior, and new seed should be purchased or 

 the ground upon which the barley was to be sown put into 

 other crops. 



Sowing the Seed. The seeding of barley should follow 

 that of oats and spring wheat, as an early spring frost is 

 more injurious to young barley plants than to other small 

 cereals. A drill or broadcast seeder is commonly used and 

 the barley is sown at the rate of 1.5 to 2.5 bushels per acre. 

 Where it is desirable to seed the land down to clover, 

 timothy, or alfalfa with barley as a nurse crop, one bushel 

 of seed per acre is sufficient. 



Harvesting the Grain. Objection has been made in the 

 past to the barley beards during harvesting and subsequent 

 handling. This objection has been largely removed since 

 the introduction of binders, self-feeder attachments to 

 threshing machines, and straw stackers. The prejudice 

 against the use of the straw for feed or bedding for stock 

 has little foundation. 



Barley should be harvested when well ripened and when 

 straw and heads are of a golden yellow color. If cut when 

 the straw is green, the kernels will shrink and assume an 

 undesirable ashen color. If the bundle carrier attachment 



