18 HINTS ON RAISING FARM CROPS 
Barley does its best on a soil that is neither 
too light nor too heavy. A well-drained loam, 
rich in fertility, is the best barley land. This 
crop is primarily a surface feeder. Its roots 
do not extend as deep as wheat or oats, which 
explains why barley is a crop that needs fair¬ 
ly rich top soil to grow successfully. Care 
should be taken that the ground is not too 
heavily fertilized with barnyard manure, how¬ 
ever, because too rank a growth of straw 
might result, which would encourage the bar¬ 
ley to lodge, or fall over. 
The same precautions in preparing the seed 
bed for wheat should be taken when getting 
the ground ready for barley. Fall-plowed land 
is to be preferred, because the land can be 
worked up quicker in the spring than spring- 
plowed land. Barley is a crop that can be put 
in quite early in the spring, it is therefore, 
obvious that fall-plowed land is quite an ad¬ 
vantage. It is especially desirable that with 
barley, none but the largest and plumpest seeds 
should be sown, because this is the best way 
to promote an even stand, and a vigorous crop. 
Barley is generally sown at the rate of two 
bushels to the acre, unless in a dry section, 
where the quantity is reduced proportionately. 
Much better yields can be obtained, as in the 
case of wheat, by sowing with a drill rather 
than a broadcast seeder. Like wheat, it is 
not a cultivated crop, so little labor is de¬ 
manded in growing this crop. 
The harvesting of barley is done in a some¬ 
what similar way as wheat. When the barley 
M an the “hard dough” stage, it is cut with 
