FOUR-ROWED BARLEY SOI 



and best developed grains ; when the awn is cut off or destroyed 

 the grain is long and thin when ripe. Usually the flowering 

 glume is pale yellow, but in some varieties it is black or deep 

 purple. 



The fruit or caryopsis in the commoner varieties of culti- 

 vated barleys is adherent to the flowering glume and pale, and 

 on being thrashed does not separate from the latter. 



Varieties termed naked barleys, however, exist, in which the 

 caryopsis is free from the glumes and falls out of the ear as 

 readily or more so than a grain of wheat. 



2. Cultivated Barley {Hordeum sativum Pers.). — The cultivated 

 forms of barley are all considered to belong to one species, 

 which has been named Hordeum sativum ; by the best authorities 

 this is looked upon as having been originally derived from a two- 

 rowed species Hordeum spontaneum Koch., which is met with 

 wild in Western Asia. 



The cultivated varieties fall into the three undermentioned 

 races, which have sometimes been treated as distinct species : — 



Race I. Six-rowed Barley (Hordeum sativum hexastichon = 

 H hexastichon L.) (A, Fig. 160). — In the six-rowed barleys all the 

 flowers of each triplet of spikelets on both sides oftherachis are 

 fertile and produce ripe fruits, hence the ear possesses six longi- 

 tudinal rows of grain : moreover, the rows are arranged at equal 

 distances from each other all round the rachis. 



This race has short erect ears, short straw, and coarse thin 

 grain. It is hardy and gives a good yield, but is rarely met 

 with, as the very poor quality of its grain debars it from being 

 of any use to the farmer in this country. 



Race II. Bere : Bigg : Four-rowed Barley {Hordeum sativum 

 vulgare = Hordeum vulgare L.) {B, Fig. 160). — In this race all the 

 flowers of each triplet are fertile and the ear is possessed of six 

 rows of grain as in the previous race; the rows, however, are not 

 arranged regularly at equal distances round the rachis. The 

 central fruits of each triplet form two regular rows on opposite 



