350 
THE CULTIVATOR 
Noy. 
Evening Discussions at Syracuse, 
AT THE STATE FAIR. 
.Deterioration of tl&e Barley Crop. 
The failure of the barley crop in many parts of the coun¬ 
try being alluded to by several gentlemen, Mr. Clark 
of Oswego, stated that when formerly it was largely 
grown there, he regarded it as a very exhausting crop, 
and he thinks this explains the reason of its failure. 
One gentleman stated that some years ago, he sowed a 
peck, and it gave him two and a half bushels—he sow¬ 
ed this product on an acre, and obtained sixty bushels, 
worth then one dollar per bushel—equal to the interest 
on 600 dollars per acre. G-. Geddes said that Onon¬ 
daga formerly produced more barley than the whole 
State of Massachusetts. He has found it a very sensi¬ 
tive crop—easily affected by wet and heat—that it 
requires for success a heavy soil—it will not succeed 
well on light gravel—it now averages about 20 bushels 
per acre ; some raise 40, others but 15. He thinks it 
is going to decrease—the midge destroys it; and often 
when a large crop is considered certain, dry weather 
will dwindle it to a very small amount. 
Dr. Wells of Seneca county, said many farmers 
had raised large crops—he had heard of 70 bushels 
per acre—the soil he spoke of was mostly strong or 
clayey. He thinks the larger crops are winter barley 
Judge Enos of Madison, said he had raised good bar¬ 
ley for thirty years until within three years—now he 
could get but 10 bushels per acre—the Hess barley 
has given him 50 bushels per acre. He does not know 
any cause for the failure; he treats his crop now pre¬ 
cisely as formerly—it has never rusted—the soil is in 
as good condition as ever, being manured on corn. He 
has had 75 bushels of shelled corn per acre, but only 
15 bushels of barley after it. Mr. Brown of Wayne, said 
that a first crop of barley was good, but the second 
only straw—and that barley would not do after barley. 
Judge Enos said he had a second crop with 50 bushels 
per acre, but the land had been well limed before it. 
Squire M. Brown of Elbridge, had had good suc¬ 
cess till the two last years,—the crop now fails—he 
never sows barley after barley, but after well manured 
corn. In one instance it only half headed out, pos¬ 
sibly from the heat, but he knows of no other cause. 
His barley this year weighs 46 —he has had it 53 lbs. 
He had found a great increase from the use of salt, 
and that it proved highly beneficial in several instances, 
giving him in some cases 50 bushels per acre, and 
only 33 bushels on unsalted land alongside. He sows 
five bushels of salt per acre. He thinks salt excellent 
in manure, and will prevent it from burning. 
W. A. Mills of Livingston Co , said they had raised 
less in that county than in other places—formerly he 
had 40 bushels per acre on large fields—now but 18 
bushels. He attributes failure last year to the wet 
and hot summer, and it rusted. It was better on the 
cool, dry hills. Winter barley has succeeded well the 
present year, 35 bushels per acre—sowed two bushels 
per acre, with but little care. Barley generally rusted 
on the Genesee Flats. C. Winegar of Cayuga, had a 
good crop formerly, and a poor one this year, but he 
thinks it was from bad culture 
Geo ge Geodes said the usual rotation was corn, 
barley, wheat, grass, &c. Dunning of Cayuga, said 
the two-rowed had proved much better than the four- 
rowed, the former yielding 10 bushels the most. In 
Cayuga they first plant corn, with manure, sow early; 
the soil is good enough to give them commonly 50 
bushels of shelled corn per acre. After corn they grow 
barley, and then wheat. He thinks the average crop 
last year was 20 bushels, this year 25 bushels—for¬ 
merly the crop was 40 bushels. He attributes the 
failure this year to the maggot in the straw. C. Wine- 
gar had nearly destroyed his animals by foolishly feed¬ 
ing barley straw to them. Geo. Clark of Otsego would 
suggest to make barley follow wheat, instead of the 
reverse as now. He had known seeding down with 
barley to be a good practice. Mr. Bailey, of Kent Co , 
Michigan, has raised barley on new soil—3 years ago 
he had 30 bushels per acre—last year 15 —this year 
but 8, and on land that yielded 157 bushels of ears of 
King Philip corn per acre. He finds the two-rowed 
the best. He thinks the failure partly owing to un¬ 
usually unfavorable seasons. 
Col. Brewer of Tompkins, has raised barley for 
8 years—for 7 years it has averaged 35 bushels per 
acre—he sows on clover sod, and it proves one of the 
best crops to s.eed on He finds it nearly impossible to 
seed land on clover sod, if the soil is sandy ; but easy 
on heavy soil. He finds “ pine straw ” on light soil 
to spoil land—has discovered no advantage whatever 
from lime. He has made very poor land “too rich,” 
or given it tco much vegetable matter, by repeatedly 
plowing in clover. It was so poor before, that it had 
been sold at $4 per acre. Ashes had been useful on 
his land, salt not. He has tried lime, with no bene¬ 
fit whatever, and subsoiling without any use but once. 
He does not like deep plowing—prefers 3 or 4 inches 
deep—he had cropped such land, and had obtained 
larger crops from 3 inch plowing than from 4, 4 more 
than 5, and 5 more than 6. C. Winegar asked, “ do 
you ever get 100 bushels of corn per acre 7” “ No.” 
“No, nor never will, was the rejoinder. 
Lewis Marshall of Orleans had known something 
of winter barley for the last eight years—it has been 
sown in spring, and the result has been very good—it 
was sown in March, and yielded over 40 bushels per 
acre, and over 50 lbs. per bushel. It does not always 
stand the winter—this is the great difficulty—but when 
it does escape, it gives a fine crop. The midge has 
spoiled his two-rowed spring barley, but never affects 
the winter barley—the latter ripens about the first of 
July. 
Mr. Gowdy of Lewis county, said barley usually 
succeeds well in that county—they do not plow much, 
but go largely to dairying and grass crops. Barley is 
poor this year. 
Dr. Van Slyck said the rotation in Wayne county, 
where they had long raised barley, and always with 
success, except in the wet season of last year, is clover 
two years, then summer fallow and barley, then 
wheat seeded down. The land must be in good order, 
as much so as for wheat or corn, and it must not be a 
“ catch crop ” This neglect to give it the best chance, 
he thought the reason of the failure lately. White 
barley is much the best; they scarcely ever fail to get 
40 or 50 bushels of this sort per acre. A neighbor had 
54 bushels per acre. It is better, and is used for mak¬ 
ing pearl barley. Good wheat-land will grow good 
barley always—clay land is rather the best. It should 
be drilled in, as being less likely to kill out by winter. 
Grapes. —T. C. Peters wished Col. Brewer to state 
as a comment on the subject of shallow cultivation, his 
