BAB LEY 



165 



152. Botanical characters. — Barley, Hordeum sati- 

 vum, has much the same appearance as wheat, differing 

 from the latter slightly in the length of the culms, the 

 shape of the leaves, and the structure of the spike. The 

 roots of barley are somewhat less extensive than those of 



FiG^ 59. — Spikelets of barley; 1, two-rowed type; S, the six-rowed 

 bearded ; 3, six-rowed beardless ; 4t showing three spikelets and the 

 relative position of parts. 



wheat, and do not grow so deeply. The culms are not 

 usually as tall, and the percentage of straw to grain is less 

 than that of wheat. Barley produces rather more culms 

 per plant than wheat, under favorable conditions produc- 

 ing as many as 15 or more per plant. The leaves are some- 

 what broader than those of the other cereals. The more 

 marked characters that distinguish it from wheat are the 

 arrangement and structure of the spikelets and the shape 



