158 PRODUCTIVE FARMING 



drills. Two or three bushels of seed are used per acre, 

 according to fertility and method of seeding. Very heavy 

 seed should be selected. Thirty-two pounds is the legal 

 weight of a bushel of oats in all States except Virginia, New 

 Jersey, Idaho, and Maryland. The grain selected for seed 

 should be as heavy as thirty-eight or forty pounds per 

 bushel. 



Harvesting. There is a little less danger of the oats 

 shattering from the heads when cut than there is with wheat ; 

 but in general the same condition of maturity should be 

 secured. The grain is cut and bound with self-binders and 

 then placed in shocks, where it is left for several weeks to 

 thoroughly dry out before threshing. 



Barley. There are several types or varieties of barley 

 grown in America, which may be grouped as two-row, four- 

 row, and six-row; the numbers referring to the rows of grain 

 on the haads. The two-row barley is more common in Europe 

 and the six-row more common in America. Most all varieties 

 have hulls on the grain, but hulless varieties are sometimes 

 grown. 



Barley adapts itself to a wide range of climate, as the 

 time required for maturing a crop is very short. It is found 

 wherever any of the other cereals are grown. 



Soil and Its Preparation. Barley thrives best on well- 

 drained, rich, sandy loam. The soil is prepared as for oats 

 and the times for seeding in different sections is about the 

 same. 



Rye. Rye is less used for bread making than wheat in 

 America, but in some parts of the Old World the reverse 

 is the case. The flour there is cheaper, as it is much darker 

 than wheat flour. Rye grows somewhat taller than wheat 

 and thus produces more straw. The straw has a commercial 

 value for packing purposes. 



Culture. Rye will grow in any region adapted to wheat 

 raising, and is grown even farther north than wheat. It does 



