Huntsville gazette., 1883-09-15
Something About Barley.

This genus of grasses ranks in some
of the countries of Europe next to
wheat in value. There are many
species of what is termed barley
grasses, but the ma jo1.itv of them are
coarse, weedy plants of little or no
value to man. The grain known as
barley figures in the remote records of
| both sacred and civil history, and has
been constantly cultivated from the
most ancient times till the present day.
In the days of Moses, IAN homer Of
barley seed was valued at fifty shekels
of silver" Barley is mentioned in the
story of Naomi and Ruth, and in many
other places in the sacred records.
Pliny gives such explicit descriptions
of barley as cultivated in his day that
there is no difficulty in recognizing it as
the same known and cultivated at the
present time. Columella mentions two
varieties as cultivated in Italy, one called
hexasticum and the other distichum
Cato, Palladius, Virgil and other
ancient writers speak of this grain and
its value, giving full and explicit di-
reetions for preparing the land and
sowing the seed. Varo says that six
madii of barley should be sown per acre,
which is equivalent to about two BUSH
els and two pecks of our measure.
The flowers of barley are arranged in
a compact spike in alternate order on
each side of a terminal rachis or stem.
| They contain both stamens and pistils,
| and for this reason are termed he1ma-
| phrodite, the organs of fertility being
| enclosed within two ,palea, the inner
one closely investing the seed, and the
outer one unwrapping and folding over
the inner, and furnished with long
avn or beard beset with three rows Of
acute bristles. Three palea constitute
spikelet and two glumes belong to
each pale;e. So III 80
Although barley is usually regarded
as more tender than some of the other
cereals, it is cultivated over very wide
range of country, often flourishing where
subject to great heat and long droughts,
as well as. in very moist and cool cli-
mates, far to the north Owing to the
peculiar form of the flowers it is less
liable to blight from unfavorable wealth.
er when in bloom than wheat The
three filaments of the latter, with their
delicate anthers, are protruded and ex-
posed to every change in the weather,
/ but in barley these organs are masked
and protected by the floral integu-
ments.
Some writers classify barley accord
ing to the time of sowing, making only
two divisions-spring and winter bar
ley. Others classify all varieties of bar
ley according to the number of rows of
grain in the ears, into six-rowed, four
rowcd and two-rowed but the first two
are undoubtedly the same species, while
the last is distinct, as they have only
one spikelet at each joint of the rachis
with a fertile flower, the two lateral
spikelets being reduced to a sterile rudi-
ment. The winter and spring barley
are often interchanged, and what is
strictly spring variety in one country
or locality becomes winter variety in
others. Attempts have also been made
to classify the varieties according to the
adhesion or non adhesion of the corolla
with ripe seed, making the awned and
naked barley. Then there is what is
termed the flat-eared and square-eared
baEleys. But for all practical purposes
the many varieties in cultivation NAV
be referred to two species, namely,
Hordeuns. rulgare, four and six-rowed,
and II. distichuna. two-rowed barley.
The latter is supposed to be native Of
Tartary. With a grain SO long in cul-
tivation se barley, and in 50 many diff
ferent countries and over such a wide
range of climate, it is not strange that
it should vary greatly from the original
types; hence the great number OF dis
finct varieties in cultiYation-M z
] SNn