4 BULLETIX 1334^ U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTUEE 
In the Great Basin between the Rocky Mountains and the ranges 
along the Pacific coast there are many high plateaus and many moun- 
tain valleyS; each differing from the neighboring ones. Barleys suited 
to the special valleys may best be found in southern and central 
Asia, where similar ecological conditions obtain. 
fflSTORY OF BARLEY GROWING 
EAKLY-GROWN BARLEYS 
Tlie first barleys grown in the various American settlements 
doubtless were those varieties from the homes of the settlers. The 
English probably brought with them the late 2-rowed barleys com- 
monly grown in England, such as Chevalier and Thorpe. The Dutch 
brought the barleys of the mainland, and the Spanish the barleys of 
the Coast type. The Spanish settlements were largely in arid 
regions adapted to the culture of barleys of the Coast type. The 
barley of Spain was of Xorth African origin, well suited to Mexico, 
western South America, and California. Although its history is not 
easily traced, it is likely that this cereal was an immediate success, 
that it was taken up widely in Mexico, and that it went into Cali- 
fornia with the missions. It is still the prevailing barley of the 
Western States. 
Along the Atlantic seaboard conditions were not so favorable. All 
the settlements were in a region of hiunid simimers, and most of them 
south of the latitudes where barley does well in humid growing sea- 
sons. The Chevalier and Thorpe types of England were suited to 
the eastern Provinces of Canada, but it was only when the settle- 
ments had penetrated western New York that an especially favor- 
able area was found in the Eastern States. This area was better 
adapted to the culture of the Hanna and the 6-rowed varieties of the 
Continent than to the 2-rowed sorts of England. Barley production 
became important early in the history of New York. 
After agricultural periodicals became common there are frequent 
notes on barley production, many of which indicate the nature of the 
varieties grown. The reports of the grain trade of Albany in the 
fifties show that 6-rowed barley was more common than 2-rowed in 
New York. A note by Chief Inspector Stevens, of Chicago, in the 
Prairie Farmer in 1860 stated that the 4-rowed barley was best 
suited for the Chicago market '' because a majority of that grown in 
the Northwest is of that variety." In 1865 all correspondents of 
this paper seemed to be growing 6-rowed barley. The Wisconsin 
University Experiment Farm began distributmg the Manchuria 
barley about 1873. This variety was widely disseminated, and its 
culture spread from farm to farm from the"^ centers started by the 
distrilmtion from the imiversity farm. At the present time practi- 
cally all barley that comes into the market in the northern Mississippi 
Valley is Manchuria or Oderbrucker. 
The question natm-ally arises as to the identity of the 6-rowed 
barley widely grown before the introduction of Manchuria and 
Oderbrucker. There is little definite information on this point. In 
all probability it was very similar to Manchuria and Oderbrucker. 
It is inconceivable that it has now entirely disappeared. It prob- 
al)ly is still grown by a small percentage of farmers. In all likeli- 
hood it differs little in appearance in the field or when threshed from 
