The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-03-12
THE FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
Cultivation of BARLEY,

SuhINulOu Oh h6Iteys
MEssRs. Demonstrating to expert
ment with this crop on a large scale next
season, l have sought for information in re-
gard to its cultivation, &C., but am not yet
Informed to the extent desired. From the
list of prizes on barley, mentioned on page
472 it appears there are several varieties OF
this cereal-"two-rowed," "four.rowed,"
"six-rowed," "Canada West" and Canada
East" Please inform me which variety
would suit best for this region. Should it be
sowed in autumn or spring? How much
seed per acre? Can the wheat drill be used
if so, how regulated? Where can good seed
be obtained: does it ripen early or later than
wheat! Is it bound in sheaves, and handled
generally, like wheat? Excuse my ignorance.
/ have not met with any one who has had
Baltimore, Nd.
Barley groves successfully in wide range
of latitude, and it is more important to Sc
cure the requisites of good soil and cultiya-
ton than any particular locality merely. AS
general rule it may be said that barley will
succeed well on good land for wheat, but
will do best on those rather lighter than
strong wheat soils. A medium loan is best,
it other requisites are secured. The land
should have good natural or artificial drain
age, for the important reason, that if well
order for the seed early in the spring, while
without drainage the work would be delayed
to the serious detriment of the crop. A de-
lay of a week in sowing has sometimes di.
minished the amount of the crop twenty
five per cent. Sowing early on wet or badly
prepared land is still worse. 1t is best to
plow the previous autumn, and experiment
indicates early blowing better than late, if
kept clear of weeds till winter, IT the soil
ox,I Ira hat e,1l 81
land remains loose and mellow in the early
spring, it is not necessary to pillow again, but
merely to mellow the surface in the spring
preparatory to sowing the seed. II the
ground has become hard, it should be plowed
and rendered friable, even if the sowing is
delayed. More than for any other sown crop,
barley needs clean, mellow, thorough cuiti-
walton to precede sowing.
The third great requisite, in addition to
drainage and early sowing, is rich soil. If
1T follows well MANFRED corn crop, the prev
ious manuring will be sufficient; otherwise
an autumn or winter top-dressing should be
horse wheel cultivator or gang-plow early in
spring. The soil may possibly be made too
rich-a fault, however, less frequent than the
reverse. The roots Of the barley plant do
not descend deep into the soil, in which re-
spect they are unlike those of wheat. For
this reason, the manure and the tillage
should be rather near the surface-say for
about six inches of the top.
Barley succeeds well after potatoes, and
nearly as well following corn or if the stub-
BILE OF the grain crops is plowed in autumn
and enriched, the preparation will be. good
one. II the manuring has not been suffic-
superphosphate on such soils as are benefit
edby it, will be a profitable application,
The four-rowed (called also six-rowed) is
the best variety, where the best preparation
of the soil and cultivation are given; but for
more ordinary management, the two-rowed
will do the best. The two-roWed ripens
later. which gives it the advantage that it
need not be harvested till after wheat. The
four-rowed is coming into more general use
now that2the management of the crop is bet
ter understood. We cannot give the desired
information as to the other subvarieties NAM
ed. 1t may be had at the large city seed
stores.
The seed should be put in with a grain
drill, at about an even depth of about an
inch and half If sown very early, bushel
and a half or two bushels of seed will do; if
later, as it tillers less, there should be two
and half bushels. If the soil is quite dry, it
may be rolled after sowing; or still better. a
smoothing harrow is used once or twice when
the barley is four or five inches high, it will
increase the product often several bushels per
acre.
In harvesting, cut with reaper, and when
dry, throw up and load with the large wood
en- barley-ferk, witout binding. To keep the
grain and straw bright, avoid exposure to
rains. It will sell better than if blackened
by becomoing wet.
Barley is usually employed in rotation after
corn and before wheat, and leaves the soil in
better condition than oats. Clover does well
sown with it, but the clover lessons the bar
ley. 1t should be sown thinner than other
wise, for seeding down.
Barley leaves the land in good condition
for two reasons, namely-that it is not an
exhausting crop itself, and the manuring
which it must receive to be successful adds
of Lawes and Gilbert prove these points.
They raised it for twenty years in succession
on the same land, applying annually four
teen loads of barnyard manure per acre.
The land was rather poor when they began,
and yielded only twenty-one bushels. The
product went up to fourty-eight bushels per
acre by the twentieth year, and the increase
was more rapid the last ten years. They es-
timated that the crops took only one-ninth of
the nitrogen applied annually in the manure,
much of it remaining in the soil, and annual
ly increasing the fertility.
We have long adoptedithe practice of grind
ing and feeding barley for domestic animals,
Horses do well on it, and it is an excellent
food for store pigs in winter. We find one
bushel of barley equal to two bushels of oats.
We think it would be profitable for farmers
to use it more in this way, than to sell it o fl
the farm. The manure gives the balance in
favor of the practice. The manufacture of
barley into beer cannot be regarded as con-
tributing to national prosperity. Chemists
estimate that pound of nutriment in beer
costs no less than three dollars, and this use
of barley is therefore nearly dead loss to
the country.
To recapitulate, the requisites for barley
are-soil medium loan, but light or heavy
will do, If rich and in fine mellow condition;
well drained, to work early; may follow pota
toes, clean crop of corn, or well plowed
stubble; sow early; cut rather early, and
avoid rain, cut with a reaper, and draw in
when quite dry, without binding Country
Gentleman.
Action of Salt ON Peruvian Guano.
DR.. Voelcker, in late article in the
Royal Agricultural Societys Journal, has
the following:
"a distinct proof is here given that COM
mon salt has the power celebrating ammonia
from soils that have been highly manured
crov