THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
405 
i 
August 25. 
the only grain crop grown for sale, Wheat being rejected 
as too uncertain. 
It is, therefore, highly desirable that Barley should 
he harvested with great care and judgment, from the 
fact that the value of the grain will depend, in a great 
measure, upon its having been cut and harvested 
j at the proper period ; for, although the time of sowing, 
! the nature of the soil, and the climate, will have their 
influence upon the quality of the grain, yet its value for 
malting purposes may be greatly affected by the method, 
as well as the time selected for harvesting. 
The superiority of the Barley grown in England over 
that of foreign countries, may be attributed, in a great 
measure, to the mode of managing the crop at harvest 
| time. Most of the foreign samples are steely and 
| unkind, attributable, in some measure, perhaps, to the 
| soil, and partly to premature ripening, caused by the 
i excessive heat of the climate; but, in most instances, it 
may be traced to the effect of too early cutting. 
Barley differs from all other kinds of grain in being 
depreciated by early cutting. It should always be 
allowed to stand until dead ripe, if required for malting 
purposes. The corn will then become mellow and kind; 
! a common rule, as regards ripeness, is indicated by a 
wrinkled and shrivelled appearance of the skin of the 
grain, and the ear drooping and pointing to the earth. 
The mode of harvesting Barley varies in different 
districts. In some counties, it is a common practice to 
cut this crop with the scythe, and tie it into sheaves, 
the same as for the Oat crop, but this mode is not 
general, it being found to require longer exposure in 
! the field, thereby increasing the risk of damage by rain; 
and as it is usual to grow Clover amongst the crop, it 
is not, on this account also, desirable to tie into sheaves. 
In general harvest-work, tying the crop is not attended 
with advantages, for although the carting is less expen¬ 
sive, yet the labour of tying increases the expenses. 
The best, and, it may be said, the most usual, method 
of managing the Barley crop is to cut with the scythe, 
; and allow it to remain in swarth until it is fit to carry 
1 to the barn, or stack,—taking care to have the swarths 
turned, when clover is found amongst the crop, as often 
| as may bo required, to prevent heating in the mow or 
■ stack, as no grain is so worthless as that which has 
been over-heated in the stack, having had imparted 
to it thereby a taste so objectionable as to render it 
j almost valueless, even for mealing purposes. There 
is, also, another advantage when Barley is mown and 
carted as loose corn: that is, it can remain in swarth, 
! and take the dews of night; and, in some very dry, hot 
| summers, when the grain is inclined to be flinty and 
. unkind, it will be wonderfully improved for malting 
! purposes by the alternate action of dews and sunshine 
! upon the grain. 
The value of Barley straw, as fodder, is a great con¬ 
sideration (particularly in seasons when the Hay crop 
i has been damaged), and when Clover is found amongst 
' the corn it adds greatly to the value of the fodder, if 
i secured in a dry state; and this is certainly done best 
1 and quickest when the crop is harvested in a loose form. 
It is a common practice, as soon as the corn is fit to 
carry to the stack, to have it forked into pook, and the 
land raked, and the crop allowed to remain a day, or 
several days, previous to carting; but I object to this 
mode of proceeding, for in case rain intervenes, the corn 
in pook does not dry so quickly, and the grain is liable to 
waste in opening and separating the pooks for the pur¬ 
pose of drying. I prefer to pook the crop, and rake the 
land, just before the approach of the waggons for carry¬ 
ing the crop; for when the corn is fit to pook, it is fit 
to be carted also. It is, therefore, better, in case of 
rain, that the crop should receive it in swarth, as it 
may then, by one turning, become in condition for 
carting without loss. It should, also, at the time of 
harvest, be considered at what time it may he desirable 
to thrash the corn; and the crop should be stacked, 
or placed in the barn accordingly. It is generally the 
best method to put the loose com into barn, there 
being less waste; whilst Wheat and sheaved Oats are 
best adapted for ricks, as being less wasteful. 
When it is necessary to make the Barley crop into 
ricks, being the produce of outlying fields, or from other 
circumstances, it is desirable to make the stacks small, 
or, otherwise, long and narrow, in order that a portion 
may be cut across, and carted as required (about as 
much as may be secured in a short winter day), this 
crop being mostly required during the winter months, 
both as regards the grain and the fodder. After the 
stacks have been made up, and properly thatched, let 
the outsides be thrashed with sticks, to beat out the 
corn exposed on the outside, which may be saved by 
laying a sail-cloth upon the ground to receive the grain 
as it falls during the process of thrashing: if this 
operation be not attended to at the proper time the 
birds will be sure to take all the grain which may be 
exposed. Joseph Blundell. 
ALLOTMENT FARMING.— September. 
At last, real summer weather; and wliat a charming duty 
it is to record it after months of querulousness. But much 
damage has occurred which may not be recovered by any 
means; and what with the immense National loss which has 
accrued in things connected with the soil, together with the 
chances of a war of no trilling character, it is to be feared, 
on behalf of such classes as those for whom our labours are 
intended, that the ensuing winter may be one of high price. 
This, in one respect, will suit our landlords, who think that 
they have encountered, one time or other, sufficient depres¬ 
sions ; but even to them, there are other hearings of this 
subject which point to prospective matters of serious con¬ 
siderations. 
Whatever may he the prices of animal diet, cheese, Ac ; 
there is one thing that concerns the humbler classes of 
society far more; aud that is, what are termed our bread- 
stuffs. 
As to wheat., there can be little doubt, that it can neither 
reach the average quantity or quality, unless it can be shown 
that much greater breadths have been sown, or that Foreign 
harvests have been good in the aggregate. There is, how¬ 
ever, some reason to doubt both one and the other. 
It behoves, then, the allotment man, and the gardening 
cottager, to look well after their winter roots, as being the 
next in point of importance to our bread-stuffs, and, in¬ 
deed, to every other little article in their plot, which may 
tend to produce winter comforts, and to keep the shopkeeper’s j 
