222 FIELD CROPS 



ness in ripening is particularly essential to produce market 

 barley of uniform quality, and carefully graded seed is a 

 means toward this end. Freedom from weed seeds is also 

 very desirable, for weeds in the crop retard its growth, make 

 it more difficult to cure properly, and injure its market value. 

 The formaldehyde treatment recommended for the 

 covered smut (bunt) of wheat and for oat smut (Sec. 205) 

 is effective in controlling covered smut of barley. Loose 

 smut of barley is not killed by formaldehyde, but can be kept 

 in check by the hot water treatment described for the loose 

 smut of wheat (Sec. 205). 



266. Sowing the Seed. Barley is usually sown with the 

 grain drill at the rate of from 6 to 8 pecks to the acre. In 

 the drier sections, the best quantity to sow may be as low as 

 4 pecks. Broadcast seeding usually gives much lower yields 

 than drilling, and is not to be recommended where it is 

 possible to use" the drill. Hull-less barley is sown at the rate 

 of from 4 to 6 pecks to the acre. The usual date of seeding 

 is slightly later than for oats, varying from the latter part of 

 March and the first week of April in Kansas, through the 

 second and third weeks of April in Iowa, Nebraska, and 

 Illinois, and extending to the last week of April and the 

 first half of May in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Dakotas. 

 Winter barley is usually sown in September or early October. 

 The proper depth for seeding varies somewhat with the con- 

 dition of the soil, but is about 2 or 3 inches. 



267. Harrowing. Barley, like the other small grains, is 

 seldom cultivated in any way. Beneficial results are some- 

 times obtained from cultivating drilled barley with the har- 

 row or the weeder, running these tools parallel to the drill 

 rows. This serves to break the crust which is likely to form 

 on the surface, lessens evaporation, and helps to keep down 



