DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF GRAINS 507 



of those belonging to the erect-eared and bent-eared two-rowed 

 barleys in order to be able to examine samples before purchasing 

 for seed purposes. 



The following are the chief points of difference of the common 

 races of barley : — 



(i) The grains of the six-rowed race are elongated, not plump, 

 with thick glumes ; generally a considerable portion of the base 

 of the awn is visible on the flowering glume. 



The grains of here are larger and plumper than those of the 



Fig. 162.— I. Base ofgrain oi hcftt'€a7'cd two-rowed barleys (Chevalier, Old Common, Sic). 

 2. Diagrammatic longitudinal section of i showing the sloping base. 3. Base of grain of crcct- 

 earcd two-rowed barleys (Goldthorpe and Imperial). 4. Diagrammatic longitudin.-il section 

 of 3. 



typical six-rowed sub-race, but in other respects the two are 

 similar. 



In six-rowed barley and bere the two lateral grains of each 

 triplet growing at a notch of the rachis are twisted, so that the 

 two halves of each grain when viewed on the furrow-side are 

 seen to be dissimilar in size and form ; the presence of these lop- 

 sided grains in a sample is evidence of their origin. 



The middle grains of each triplet are symmetrical on both 



