281 
H O R D E U M. 
in the 1 pooreft land, and have always found that all crops 
which are fown or planted at a greater diftance than ufual, 
have fucceeded bell; and I am convinced, if the farmers 
could be prevailed on to quit their prejudices, and make 
trial of this method of fowing their corn thin, they would 
foon fee the advantage of this hulbandry.” 
When the barley is lown, the ground fhould be rolled 
after the firft (hower of rain, to. break the clods and lay 
the earth fmooth, which will render it better to mow, and 
alfo caufe the earth to lie clofer to the roots of the corn, 
which will be of great fervice to it in dry weather. Where 
barley is fown upon newly broken-up land, the ufual me¬ 
thod is, to plough up the land in March, and let it lie 
fallow until June, at which time it is ploughed again, and 
fown with turnips, which are eaten by fheep in winter, 
by whofe dung the land is greatly improved; and then in 
March following the ground is ploughed up again, and 
fown with barley as before. When the barley has been 
up three weeks or a month, it will be a very good method 
to roll it over with a weighty roller, which will prefs the 
earth ciofe to the roots of the corn, and thereby prevent 
the fun and air from penetrating the ground, which will 
be of lingular fervice in.dry feafons; and this rolling of 
it before it balks, will caufe it to till out into a greater 
number of links; fo that, if the plants fhould be thin, 
this will caufe them to (bread fo as to fill the ground, and 
likewife ftren'gtiv.-n the ftalks. 
The time for cutting barley is, when the red colour of 
the ears is olf, and the ft raw turns yellow, and the ears 
begin to hang down ; in the north of England they always 
reap their bvley, and make it up in (heaves, as p radii fed 
here for wheat, by which method they do not lofe near 
fo much corn, and it is alfo more handy to ftack ; but this 
method cannot fo well be pradHled where there are many 
weeds amongtt the corn, which is too frequently the cafe 
in the rich kinds near London, efpecialiy in moiit feafons; 
therefore, when this is the cale, the barley miift lie on the 
fwartli till all the weeds are dead ; but, as it is apt to 
fprout in wet weather, it muft be lhaken up, and turned 
every fair day after rain to prevent it. When it is carried 
in, it Ihouicl be thoroughly dry, otherwife, if it be (tacked 
wet, it will turn mufty; or if too green, it is fubjedt to 
burn in the mow. The common produce of barley, is two 
and a half or three quarters on an acre; but we have 
fometimes known fix or feven quarters on an acre. 
The farmer is governed by feafons, and by other necef- 
fary work which he may have to perform ; but, when he 
can, to fow early is one of tide molt important articles in 
the culture of barley, if three ploughings can be given 
in time, it is belt to get the feed in feme time in March 
at fartheft ; and Come farmers, rather than defer the fow¬ 
ling, will throw in the crop on one earth, in Norfolk, they 
commonly fow on their light lands in April, and on the 
moift lands in May; and they think that, where they are 
much fubjedt to weeds, they have the belt crops when 
they fow late. Early (owing, however, has been gaining 
ground for feme years pall. And it appears from an ex- 
pc iment accurately made by a very intelligent cultivator, 
that more grain was produced from fowiag in January 
than at any other time.. 
The following experiments were tried by the late earl 
of Orford, to aicertain the effeft of early (owing:—The 
common management of the turnip hufbandry in Norfolk, 
has this evil in it; that the crop is kept for feeding-fo 
late in the fpring, that the fucceeding barley often buffers 
confiderably, fometimes to the amount or the value of 
the turnips. In 1785, twenty-three acres of turnips being 
fed oif, barley was fown, three buftels and a half to the 
acre, on the 7th of February, in the manner of wheat on 
the ridge; the land having been half-ploughed, on .to 
four-furrow ridges. Sharp frofts followed the (owing, and 
the feed lay five weeks before it appeared ; but the crop 
received no injury. It was reaped. The produce was five 
quarters, one buftvel, and one peck, on an acre'; a very 
good and (hort fample. In-1787, thirty acres were fown 
Vql.X. No. 660. 
as before, on turnip-land, and on ridge and furrow; be¬ 
ginning on the 6th of February. The produce five quar¬ 
ters one peck on an acre; the fample (hort and good, 
weighing fourteen ftone feven pounds the fack. 
In that part of Effex where they underftand the barley- 
culture well, they defpair of a great crop, if the feed is 
not in the ground in March ; but they fow as foon as their 
lands are dry enough, from the laft week in February to 
the middle of April. Mr. Young obferves on this prac¬ 
tice, that early fowing is a point almoft fufficient to turn 
the (cale in favour of bad land, in comparifon with good 
ill-managed. In Suffolk they generally give three fpring- 
ftirrings, by which means it is common to fee them fow¬ 
ing barley in May ; but no great or good crops can be 
gained fo. When barley is to follow turnips, the belt far¬ 
mers in many feafons watch the lucky moment of plough¬ 
ing their turnip-lands, when they will break up into fine 
mould; one earth will then bring them into crumbling 
order, and the harrows make them as fine as a garden : 
in fuch a cafe the feed is got in early, and the land at the 
fame time time is in good tillage. After all, the ripening 
of the crop \vill depend upon the time, not of the feeds 
being fown, but of their vegetating; and therefore unlefs 
the feafon be propitious, and the land in proper order, 
early fowing of itfelf will avail little. 
The heft foil for barley is that which is dry and heal¬ 
thy, rather light than lliff, but yet of fufficient tenacity 
and llrength to retain the moifture. If the land be poor, 
it fhould be dry and warm, and when fo, will often bear 
better corn than richer land in a cold and wet fituation. 
Much bailey, however, is grown on heavy lands, both 
after wheat and on a fallow. 
Barley ufually fucceeds wheat or turnips, fometimes 
vetches and other crops, or is put in on a fallow, or on 
turf. After wheat, the foil is winter-fallowed by three 
ploughings: the firft lengthways in November; the fecoiul 
acrofs in March ; the laft or (eed-ploughing lengthways. 
Between the two laft ploughings the foil is harrowed, and 
the quich, if any, deftroyed. 
In Norfolk, when wheat-footing is finifhed, the farmer 
begins to [cale in his wheat-ftubbles fora winter fallow. 
If the land lie in narrow work, the ridgelets are fplit; if 
in warps, the ground is likewife ploughed clean, but very 
fleet. The beginning of March the land is harrowed, and 
prefently after the wheat-ftubbles are taken up by a full- 
pitch crofs-ploughing ; or, if the feafon be wet, and the 
f’oii heavy, lie reveries the ridges. In April he harrows, 
and begins (tirring for barley, with another full-pitch 
ploughing, lengthways; generally gathering the foil either 
into five-pace or ten-pace warps, in which it lies until 
feed - time; when it is harrowed, rolled, fown; ploughed 
fleet, reverfing the warps, and )lading down the furrows; 
fo as to render the entire furface as even and level as may 
be. After turnips, the foil is generally broken up-as fa ft 
as the turnips are got off; if early in winter, by rice- 
balking ; if late, by a plain ploughing. The general prac¬ 
tice, if time will permit, is to plough three times; the firft 
fleet or (hallow, the fecond full-pitch, -the laft a mean 
depth, with which the feed is ploughed in. But when it 
is late before the turnips are got off, fometimes the ground 
is only ploughed once, and the feed fown above ; but 
more frequently it is broken by three ploughings, as 
above, though perhaps there is not more than a week to 
perform them in. Such is the practice in Norfolk, where 
farmers in general are mailers in the art of cultivating 
barley. 
In ElTex they plough five times, four in the failow-year, 
throwing the land on to ridge for winter by the fourth ; 
then they take the firft opportunity of hard frofts to carry 
on their compofts at the rate of twenty or thirty loads to 
the acre; thefe are farm-yard dung mixed up with turf; 
after this, they take the firft opportunity of the lands being 
dry enough to plough and fow the barfey, from the laft week 
in: February, to the middle of April; but, if the feed is not 
in the ground in March, they defpair of a great crop. This 
4. C barley- 
