184 



BARLEY 



example, and the rest be well protected, the grain will no longer be 

 uniform in quality. 



2. Color is an indication of germinating quality. A natural 

 bright straw color is desired, but if any considerable percentage of 

 grains are blackened or darkened, it indicates exposure in the field. 

 Overheating in the stack is indicated by a dark-brown color at the 

 germ end, due probably to oil coming from the germ. 



3. Per Cent of Hull. In barleys the per cent of hull varies from 

 eight to twenty per cent, with twelve or fifteen per cent as an average. 



Fio. 70. Comparison of spikelets of six-row (three at a node) and two-row (one at a node, 

 and two sterile) barleys. 



In malting the hulled barleys are preferred to hulless, as the hull 

 protects against fungus while malting and also serves as a filter 

 when extracting. The hull, however, is dead loss, as it is mostly 

 fiber, and therefore a low per cent is desirable. 



If the barley is plump a thin hull is indicated, by being wrinkled 

 across the back and also by absence of the two strong veins, while in 

 a thick coarse hull the two veins are quite prominent. 



4. Close Threshing. In good 'barley the awn should not be 

 broken so close that the end of the kernel is exposed, but on a good 

 percentage of grains a stub of awn one-fourth inch long is regarded 

 as desirable. This can be regulated by adjustment of the threshing 



