228 



TALKS ON MANURES. 



It is no use sowing barley on heavy land half worked. It will do 

 better on light soils ; but if the clayey soils are made fine and mel- 

 low, they produce with us the best barley. 



In chemical composition, barley is quite similar to wheat. Mr. 

 Lawes and Dr. Gilbert civc the composition of a wheat-crop of 80 

 bushels per acre, 1,800 lbs. of grain, and 3,000 lbs. of straw; and 

 of a crop of barley, 40 bushels per acre, 2,080 lbs. grain, and 2,500 

 lbs. of straw, as follows : 



In Grain 



Nitropcn 



Phosphoric acid. 



Potach 



Lime 



MH(;DC8ia 



Silica 



In Straw. 



A few years ago, when the midge destroyed our wheat, many 

 farmers in Western New York raised "winter barley," instead of 

 " winter wheat," and I have seen remarkably heavy crops of thi.s 

 winter barley. It is not now grown with us. The maltsters would 

 not pay as much for it as for spring barley, and as the midge 

 troubles us less, our farmers are raising winter wheat again. 



Where, as with us, we raise winter wheat and spring bailey, the 

 difference between the two crops, taking the above estimate of 

 yield and proportion of grain to straw, would be: 



1st. Almost identical composition in regard to nitrogen, phos- 

 phoric acid, potash, lime, and magnesia ; but as it has more straw, 

 the wheat -crop removes a larger amount of silica than barley. 



2d. The greatest difference is in the lcn','th of time tiie two 

 crops are in the ground. We sow our winter wheat the last of 

 August, or the first and second week in September. Before win- 

 ter sets in, the wheat-plant often throws out a bunch of roots a 

 foot in length. During the winter, though the thermometer goes 

 down frequently to zero, and sometimes 10 to 15 below zero, yet 

 if the land is well covered with snow, it is not improbable that the 

 roots continue to absorb more or less food from the ground, and 

 store it up for future use. In the spring, the wheat commences to 

 grow before we can get the barley into the ground, though not to 

 any consideralile extent. I have several times sown barley as soon 

 as the surface-soil was thawed out five or si.K inches deep, but with 

 a bed of solid frozen earth beneath. 



3d. Two-rowed barley does not ripen as early as winter wheat, 

 but our ordinary six-rowed barley is ready to harvest the same 

 time as our winter wheat. 



