BARLEY. 
ing it, in the 58th No. of the Quarterly Journal 
of Agriculture, “ It is now several years since a 
neighbour directed my attention to a great de- 
fect in his barley crop, which was apparently 
caused by the ravages of some insect in the larva 
state living in the sheath, and feeding upon the 
ear previous to its appearance from the shot- 
blade, which, like nearly all the injuries of in- 
sects in the embryo state, goes by the designation 
of grubbing. Every year I have observed more 
or less injury to the crop by the same cause ; but 
it appears most serious in a late or wet cold year 
upon stiff soils. At the time when I gathered 
specimens of it, the healthy plants were shot and 
at full growth ; the attack of the insect must, 
therefore, prevent all these stalks from yielding 
any grain; and that such is the case, I can tes- 
tify by my experience at the harvest. The in- 
jury appears to be caused by the larvee feeding 
upon the internal parts of the plant in its ear- 
liest state ; and the transformations are made 
| within the shot-blade.” 
Analysis——An analysis of the grains of Norfolk 
barley, but without any specification of the va- 
riety of the plant or of the circumstances of its 
culture, was made by Sir Humphrey Davy, and 
resulted in 79 per cent. of mucilage or starch, 7 
per cent. of saccharine matter, and 6 per cent. of 
gluten or albumen. An analysis of ripe grains of 
barley by the German chemist, Einhof, resulted 
in 70°05 per cent. of meal, 18°75 per cent. of husk, 
and 11:20 per cent. of water; and an analysis of 
the meal resulted in 67°18 per cent. of starch, 5°21 
per cent. of uncrystallizable sugar, 4°62 per cent. 
of gum, 3°52 per cent. of gluten, 1:15 per cent. of 
albumen, 0°24 per cent. of superphosphate of lime, 
and 10°79 per cent. of water and loss. An an- 
alysis of unmalted grains of barley by Proust, re- 
sulted in 1 per cent. of resin, 4 of gum, 5 of sugar, 
3 of gluten, 32 of starch, and 55 of hordein; and 
a corresponding analysis of malted barley re- 
sulted in 1 per cent. of resin, 15 of gum, 15 of 
sugar, 1 of gluten, 56 of starch, and 12 of hordein. 
The principle or substance which Proust desig- 
nates hordein, which has been regarded as the 
characteristic principle of barley, and which 
would appear from Proust’s analysis to play a 
main part in the seed’s germination, and to be 
chiefly transmuted by germination into starch, 
gum, and sugar, will be noticed in its own alpha- 
betical place. See Horpury. The incineration 
of barley grain with its skin was ascertained by 
Saussure to yield 18 per cent. of ashes, and the 
incineration of barley straw to yield 44 per cent. 
An analysis of the ashes of the grain, by the 
same distinguished chemist, resulted in 18 per 
cent. of potash, 9:2 of phosphate of potash, 1:5 of 
sulphate of potash, 0°25 of muriate of potash, 
32°5 of earthy phosphates, 35°5 of silica, 0:25 of 
| metallic oxides, and 2.8 of loss. 
Uses.—One great and too often a principal use 
made of the grain of barley in Great Britain, and 
in other non-vinous countries, is to convert it 
349 
into malt for beer, ale, and other fermented in- 
toxicating drinks, A similar but not so general 
use is malting for the distillation of alcoholic 
liquors. The best and heaviest grain is usually 
selected for both of these purposes; and portions 
of the finest agricultural districts are employed 
in its cultivation. The number of bushels of malt 
charged with duty in the United Kingdom in 
1821 was 29,393,441; and the amount of duty 
paid thereon, £5,297,389. In 1845, duty was 
paid on 36,545,990 bushels; the amount of duty 
being £4,937,958. See the article Marr. A 
third, but far different and altogether desir- 
able use is for human food, in the form of 
either barley-meal, or decorticated barley,—the 
latter usually called pot and pearl barley, and 
variously used for soups, broths, and puddings. 
Inferior or half-spoiled barley is generally used 
for the feeding of poultry, pigs, and cattle. Green 
or growing barley, or the whole plant in its un- 
ripened state, particularly the Siberian six-rowed 
barley, is excellent spring food for milk cows, 
becomes available at an early period of the sea- 
son, occasions a large secretion or flow of milk, 
and is highly appreciated by the dairymen in the 
vicinity of London. It is also very suitable for 
horses; it serves both as a nourishing food, for 
increasing their flesh and improving their con- 
dition, and as an excellent spring physic, for 
gently cleaning their intestines; but it must at 
first be given in small quantity, else it will act 
as asmart purgative. It is more nourishing and 
earlier available for sheep than rye; and when 
fed off to the surface in April, will spring again, 
and, under fair circumstances, produce a good 
crop of grain in August. Decoctions of the pre- 
pared grain are serviceable during many kinds of 
disease in the human subject; they are particularly 
useful in all pulmonary complaints ; and, when 
acidulated with the juice of lemon or any similar 
vegetable acid, they are cooling, gently nourish- 
ing, and extremely grateful in fevers. 
The straw of barley, in favourable circum- 
stances, is suitable fodder for caitle; but, in 
general, it is serviceable chiefly as litter; and in 
no case can it be eaten by horses without pro- 
ducing some tendency to disease. It is always 
soft and somewhat clammy; and when newly 
thrashed, it has a heavy disagreeable odour. 
Even for litter, it is neither so cleanly, durable, 
nor comfortable as wheat-straw ; and for thatch, 
it is too soft, too difficult of assortment into 
lengths, too pervious by rain, and too liable to 
rot. Barley chaff is readily eaten by both old 
and young cattle, and never injures their mouths 
with its awns; but it soon heats in the chaff- 
house, and cannot, without considerable care and 
labour, be long kept from fermentation.— The 
Farmer's Magazine-—Quarterly Journal of Agri- 
culture.— Elliot's Field Husbandry.— Mortimer’s 
Husbandry —Mill’s Husbandry.—Lisle’s Husban- 
dry.— Knowledge Society's British Husbandry.— 
Doyle's Practical Husbandry.—Sproule’s Treatise 
