St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-02-21
THE BARLEY QUESTION.
The Canada side Discussed by
the Toronto Farm and Firesile.

1t is understood that the Dominion
government will place vote in the es-
Inmates for the purchase of a quantity
of two-rowed barley to be distributed
among the farmers as seed. This is an
endeavor on the part Of the administra-
ton to do something for the agricuit-
Iral community, and no doubt the eff
fort will be received in the same spirit
in which it IS made. Recent trade fig
ures have shown that our agricult-
uraI exports to Great Britain have
fallen off to tremendous degree. In
wheat, oats. hay and meats the decline
has been very marked. While the mar
ket in these lines is apparently closing
to us there Is yet field in which we
may do a profitable trade. The English
import a great deal of barley for malt
ing purposes. Why can we not partici-
pate in supply ing their demand? There
has been hitherto but one reason why
Canadian barley has not found market
across the water. 1t is the fact that we
grow species of barley which the Eng
lish brewer will not Use. Expert
brewers of the old country know
their business in this respect. The
agricultural department. at Ottawa i'm
ported last year quantity of two-rowed
barley, and sent it with like quantity
of our siX-rowed barley to brewer to
be tested. From the report made, the
two-rowed barley yielded Is per cent
more of extract than did the six-rOwed.
At the same time experiments were
made in the cultivation of the two-rowed
variety, and the result was to destroy
completely the notion so generally en-
tertained that this variety cannot be-
successfully grown here. The land Sc
lected for the purpose of the test was
light sandy loan: which had received
two years before a coating of
a crop of spring wheat had been
grown. The land was ploughed early
in the autumn and was lightly ploughed
and narrowed the following spring.
Here are some of the results obtained:
From fOrty-fOuI selected heads of the
Annet Scotch variety IT'S grains were
taken; from twenty-seven unsolicited
plants 914 grams were taken. From
twenty-eight selected heads of the Che
Waller variety from Germany 49S grains
were secured; from thirty-seven unse-
lected plants 825 grains were
secured. From fifty-0ne select
Waller barley 1908 grains were
AAOA 4Ohty oho'AOSbN0 PiNtto JIG
grains were got. The experiments were
made at Ottawa. In 1888 the average
time required for the twO-rowed barley
to ripen was elghty-six days, while in
1889 the time was Ill days. The former
season, it should be explained, was very
dry and the latter very wet. 1t is sug-
gested that from ninety-five to a hum
bred days is the average in the Ottawa
district. The yield is given in
another way thus: Beardless, so
bushels to the acre; California, 81;
Carter's Prize Prolific, BIZ; Chevalier.
Danish, 311l; Chevalier, Danish Prin-
tice, S61s; Early Minting, 25I; Saale,
%. 1t is thought, therefore, that we
can produce certain of the two-rUwed
varieties. The Importance of entering
upon the cultivation of this barley is
emphasized by the fact that our footing
in the American market is not very Sc
cure. The Americans are growing bar
ley and using substitutes for barley, land
may soon be able TO do without supply
from US.