JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  IS,  189S. 
BARLEY. 
In  view  of  the  increasing  severity  of  the  competition  our 
home-grown  Barley  has  to  meet  in  the  form  of  foreign  Barley 
and  malt  substitutes,  and  more  particularly  as  the  foreign 
produce  imported  is  now  of  very  much  improved  size  and  quality 
in  many  cases,  it  is  a  matter  of  urgent  importance  that  the 
English  farmer  should  be  able  to  put  on  the  markets  samples 
which  in  the  matters  of  evenness,  quality,  and  size  will  not 
disgrace  him,  but  uphold  worthily  the  traditions  of  British 
agriculture. 
Except  in  very  favourable  seasons  we  cannot,  in  the  matter 
of  colour  and  dryness,  compete  with  the  Barleys  grown  in  more 
sunny  climes,  but  we  may  compete  successfully  with  them  as 
regards  size  and  malting  quality.  This  will  only  apply  to  what 
are  generally  classed  as  Barley  soils,  as  it  would  be  absurd  to 
expect  fine  Barley  to  be  grown  on  sour  clay  or  blowing  sand. 
The  foundation  for  a  fine  crop  of  first-class  Barley  is  laid 
long  before  the  seed  is  sown.  For  instance,  where  the  crop  is 
taken  after  Turnips  consumed  on  the  land  the  greatest  care 
should  be  exercised  in  seeing  that  the  troughs  are  spread  well 
over  the  fold,  and  that  Turnips  carted  off  for  the  cattle  are 
taken  evenly  in  strips.  In  some  districts  it  is  usual  to  “  pie  ” 
the  Swedes  in  heaps  covered  with  soil  as  a  protection  from 
severe  frosts ;  in  such  cases  when  consuming  the  roots  it  is  very 
necessary  to  thoroughly  spread  all  the  soil  well  from  each  heap, 
and  in  fact  shovel  all  away  to  a  depth  of  3  inches  and  throw  it 
over  the  space  around,  as  otherwise  there  will  be  a  patch  of 
badly  lodged  Barley  where  each  heap  has  stood.  As  soon  as 
there  is  room  the  land  should  be  kept  ploughed  close  up  to  the 
fold  whenever  ploughing  is  possible,  or  there  will  be  considerable 
loss  of  fertility.  The  difference  between  good  and  bad  ploughing 
is  also  very  material,  particularly  as  regards  equality  of  depth 
and  flatness  of  sole.  In  our  own  experience  we  have  found 
5  inches  the  most  suitable  on  medium  soil,  greater  depth  being 
in  favour  of  bulk  rather  than  quality. 
When  the  ploughing  has  taken  place  in  the  autumn  or  early 
winter  land  is  liable  in  mild  seasons  to  set  very  hard,  in  which 
case  we  have  found  another  ploughing  in  spring  pays  very  well, 
having  never  failed  to  find  a  considerable  increase  of  crop  on 
land  so  treated.  An  extra  ploughing  seems  a  serious  additional 
expense  in  these  days  of  low  prices,  but  this  one  will  pay.  One 
of  the  benefits  we  derive  from  a  severe  winter  is  that  this  extra 
ploughing  is  generally  rendered  unnecessary. 
Under  the  worn  out  four-course  system  Barley  generally 
followed  roots  ;  this  still  very  generally  applies,  but  is  gradually 
changing  under  the  force  of  circumstances,  much  of  the  finest 
Barley,  such  as  is  used  by  the  Burton  firms,  being  grown  on 
Wheat  or  Oat  stubble.  W  here  land  is  naturally  good  enough 
to  stand  two  white  crops  a  fair  crop  of  fine  quality  may  be 
grown  after  Wheat  with  little  or  no  assistance,  but  after  Oats  a 
top-dressing  will  be  necessary  :  84  lbs  nitrate  of  soda  and  280  lbs. 
superphosphates  per  acre  will  prove  a  sufficient  dressing  to  be 
harrowed  in  with  the  seed  The  Wheat  or  Oat  stubble  should 
always  be  well  broken  up  in  the  autumn,  twitched  and  ploughed 
down.  A  second  corn  crop  shouli  never  be  taken  on  foul  or 
weedy  land,  this  veto  on  what  is  often  an  easily  grown  and 
profitable  crop  being  one  of  the  penalties  paid  by  the  bad 
farmer. 
The  best  time  for  sowing  Barley  varies  very  much  in 
different  localities,  but  April  1st  may  be  taken  as  the  midseason 
for  this  operation  in  England,  and  any  time  after  March  1st 
when  land  is  ready  and  weather  suitable.  A  Yorkshire  farmer 
of  an  inquiring  nature,  as  an  experiment,  sowed  an  acre  of 
Barley  every  fortnight  from  January  to  June,  the  result  being 
that  success  attended  good  seeding  ;  to  use  his  own  words, 
“  What  went  in  well  did  well/'  there  being  no  exception.  The 
first  essential  of  a  healthy  plant  is  a  healthy  root,  and  Barley 
will  not  make  a  good  root  in  wet  or  cold  soil;  whereas  in  free 
dry  land,  when  the  germ  develops  rapidly,  and.  like  a  hungry 
child,  cries  loudly  for  support,  the  small  and  fibrous  rootlets, 
like  so  many  industrious  bees  hastening  far  afield,  spread  them¬ 
selves  rapidly  through  the  surrounding  earth,  and  thus  lay  the 
firm  foundation  of  a  vigorous  plant.  Whereas  in  wet  soil  with 
shallow  cult  vation  (all  the  food  supply  and  moisture  being 
near  the  surface)  there  is  no  encouragement  or  necessity  for 
the  formation  of  roots,  so  that,  like  the  seed  in  the  parable, 
when  the  sun  is  up  it  is  scorched,  and  having  no  root  it  withers 
away. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  the  use  of  the  drill  for  sowing  Barley 
is  greatly  in  favour  of  equality  of  growth,  and  therefore  of 
sample,  and  where  the  holding  is  not  sufficiently  large  to 
warrant  the  purchase  of  one  it  is  generally  possible  to  hire. 
Some  people  sow  Barley  broadcast  on  heavy  land  to  save 
treading,  especially  in  a  time  of  moisture ;  but  we  should 
prefer  to  wait  until  a  drill  can  be  used,  or  if  time  is  pressing, 
sow  Oats  instead.  A  cloud  of  dust  behind  the  drill  gives 
promise  of  success,  and  we  all  remember  the  old  adage,  “  A 
peck  of  March  dust  is  worth  a  king’s  ransom.” 
WORK  ON  THE  HOME  FARM. 
Fine  open  weather  still  continues.  Southerly  and  westerly  winds, 
a  barometer  well  over  80,  with  a  night  temperature  in  the  “forties,” 
make  up  such  a  contrast,  to  our  experience  of  a  yeai  ago  that  we  may 
well  ask,  What  is  to  be  the  end  of  it?  So  far  the  present  winter  has 
been  remarkably  like  that  of  1867-68,  which  preceded  a  very  hot  and 
dry  summer.  Is  the  parallel  to  be  completed?  Should  it  be  so,  one 
thing  is  certain — there  must  be  a  scarcity  of  water  for  the  cattle  in 
many  districts,  as  the  springs  are  by  no  means  high  at  the  present  time. 
It  therefore  behoves  every  farmer  who  knows,  and  has  suffered  from 
such  a,  scarcity,  to  make  every  preparation  to  meet  it,  if  the  emergency 
should  arise.  A3  regards  the  weather,  we  are  constantly  seeing  history 
repeat  itself.  Forewarned  is  forearmed.  “  It  is  the  early  bird  that  get® 
the  worm,”  and  it  is  the  early  sowing  farmer  who  gets  the  paying  crop 
in  a  forward  and  dry  season.  This  more  particularly  applies  to  Barley. 
The  difference  of  a  fortnight  in  time  of  sowing  has  in  our  own  experience 
made  a  difference  of  a  foot  in  length  of  straw  ;  in  fact,  the  later  sown 
crop  never  really  shot  at  all,  the  ears  being  barely  visible,  and  this  was 
not  over  a  small  area,  but  hundreds  of  acres.  The  dates  were  from. 
April  1st  to  20th  in  a  hot,  dry  year.  We  do  not  wish  to  usurp  the 
functions  of  the  Weather  Office,  but  are  only  hinting  at  probabilities, 
whilst  at  the  same  time  preparing  to  practise  what  we  preach.  Let  the 
motto  for  1896  be,  “  Forward.” 
Although  in  the  midlands  and  north  we  should  never  advise  drilling 
Barley  in  February,  in  the  southern  and  eastern  counties  an  exception 
might  be  made  in  this  exceptional  season.  What  a  business — a  heavy 
business — it  is  to  retrieve  our  yards  of  manure  this  winter.  No  coating 
of  iron-bound  frost  to  make  carting  easy  !  Let  us  turn  our  attention  to 
a  lighter  task.  When  were  phosphatic  manures  ever  so  cheap  ?  We  have 
heard  of  superphosphate,  26  per  cent,  soluble,  at  33s.  on  rail.  Then  be 
the  early  bird  again,  and  buy  in  the  early  market.  Have  your  fertilisers 
on  the  premises,  they  will  not  want  fetching  twice. 
On  light  soils  where  small  weeds  flourish,  advantage  should  be  taken 
of  the  first  sufficiently  dry  state  of  the  surface  to  give  Wheat  a  good 
barrowing.  The  Wheat  plant  is  this  year  exceptionally  stroDg  and  thick, 
therefore  do  not  be  afraid  of  it ;  a  little  thinning  will  be  raiher  advan¬ 
tageous  than  otherwise.  There  have  been  instances  where  the  uprooted 
plants  have  been  carted  off  like  twitch,  and  fine  crops  have  followed, 
in  one  case  the  heaviest  crop  ever  grown  on  the  farm  ;  at  any  rate,  be 
rid  of  the  weeds. 
METEOROLOGICAL  OBSERVATIONS. 
Oamden  Square.  London. 
Lat.51°32'40"  N. :  Long.  0°  8'  0"  W.:  Altitude  111  feet 
Date. 
9  A.M. 
In  the  Day. 
Rain. 
1896. 
February. 
|  Barometer 
at  32°,  and 
|  Sea  Level. 
Hygrometer. 
Direc¬ 
tion  of 
Wind. 
Temp, 
of  soil 
at 
1  foot. 
Shade  Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun. 
On 
Grass. 
Inchs. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Inchs. 
Sunday  .. 
2 
30-570 
33-4 
32-0 
N.W. 
39-2 
38.6 
31-8 
47-9 
2G-4 
— 
Monday  . . 
3 
30-732 
30-4 
30-2 
N.E. 
38- i 
42  5 
27-6 
60-0 
24  8 
— 
Tuesday  . . 
4 
30-630 
3**2 
38*7 
N.W. 
37-4 
41-0 
30-0 
58-9 
26-2 
— 
Wednesday 
5 
30-569 
39-2 
38-2 
N.W. 
37-3 
48-4 
32-9 
55-4 
27-1 
— 
Thursday  . . 
6 
30-685 
43-1 
41-8 
S.W. 
38-9 
44-0 
39-5 
4sr6 
35-7 
— 
Friday 
7 
30-514 
43-1 
42’2 
W. 
38-9 
45-2 
35-6 
51-1 
28-2 
_ 
Saturday  .. 
8 
3U-259 
42-4 
a 
S.W. 
39-1 
54-2 
35-4 
76-8 
3  r 0 
C-072 
30-551 
38-5 
37-4 
38-4 
44-8 
33-3 
57-1 
28-3 
0-072 
2nd. — Faint  sunshine  all  day. 
3rd. — Foggy  early  ;  fine  sunny  day. 
4th.— Slight  fog  early  ;  cloudy  morning  ;  bright  suu  in  afternoon  ;  clear  night. 
5th.— Fair  morning ;  sunny  afternoon. 
6th. — Overcast  and  dull  throughout. 
7th.— Overcast  all  day.  [evening. 
8th. — Fair,  with  the  sun  visible  at  times  in  morning  ;  brilliant  afternoon  ;  overcast 
A  fine  but  not  bright  week,  noteworthy  for  the  exceptionally  high  reading  of  the 
barometer ;  temperature  near  the  average.— G.  J.  Symons. 
