Besides, barley is a tender grain, and easily hurt in any of the stages of its growth, particularly at seed time; a heavy shower of rain will then almost ruin a crop on the best prepared land ; and in all the after-processes, greater pains and attention are required to ensure suc cess, than in the case of other grains. The harvest process is difficult, and often attended with danger; even the thrashing of it is not easily executed with machines, because the awn generally adheres to the grain, and renders separation from the straw a trouble some task. Barley, in fact, is raised at greater expense than wheat, and, generally speaking, is a more hazardous crop. Except upon rich and genial soils, where climate will allow wheat to be perfectly reared, it ought not to be cultivated.
Barley may be divided into two sorts, early and late ; to which may be added a bastard variety, called bear, or bigg, which affords similar nutriment, or substance, though of inferior quality. Early barley, under various names, was formerly sown, in Britain, upon lands that had been previously summer-fallowed, or were in high condition ; but this mode of culture being in a great measure renounced, the common sort, which admits of being sown either early or late, is now generally used. The most proper seed-season is any time in April, though we have seen good crops produced, the seed of which was sown at a much later period. Bear, or bigg, may he sown still later than common barley ; because it ripens with greater rapidity. But, as a general prin ciple, where land is in order, early sowing, of every vari ety, is most desirable.
Prefiamtion.—Barley is chiefly taken after turnips, sometimes after pease and beans, but rarely, by good farmers, either after wheat or oats, unless under special circumstances. When sown after turnips, it is generally taken with one furrow, which is given as fast as the turnips are consumed, the ground thus receiving much benefit from the spring frosts. But often two or more furrows are necessary for the fields last consumed : be cause, when a spring drought sets in, the surface, from being poached by the removal or consumption of the crop, gets so hardened as to render a greater quantity of ploughing, harrowing, and rolling necessary, than would otherwise be called for. When sown after beans and pease, one wimer and one spring- ploughing are usually bestowed ; but, when alter wheat or oats, three ploughings arc necessary, so that the ground may be put in proper condition. These operations are \ r y
ticklish in a wet and backward season, and rarely in that case is the grower paid for the expense of his labour Where land is in such a situation as to require direr ploughings, before it can be seeded with barley, It is better to summer fallow it at once, than to cult the risk . which seldom fail to accompany a quantity of spring labour. If the weather be dry, moisture is lost during the different processes, and an imperfect brain' neces sarily follows : if it be wet, the benefit of ploughing is lost, and all the evils of a wet seed-time are sustained In the future crop.
Quantity of 6'red.—The quantity sown is different in different cases, according to the quality of the soil, and other circumstances. Upon very rich lands, eight pecks per acre are sometimes sown ; twelve is very common ; and, upon poor land, more is sometimes given. Among the best farmers, it seems a disputed point, whether the practice of giving so small a quantity of seed to the best lands is advantageous. That there is a saving of grain, there can be no doubt ; and that the bulk may be as great, as if more seed had been sown, there can be as little question. Little argument, how ever, is necessary to prove, that thin sowing of barley roust be attended with considerable disadvantage ; for, if the early part of the season be dry, the plants will not only be stinted in their growth but will not send out off sets ; and, if rain afterwards fall, an occurrence that must take place some time during the summer, often at a later period of it, the plants begin to stool, and send out a number of young shoots. These young shoots, unless under very favourable circumstances, cannot be expected to arrive at maturity ; or, if their ripen ing is waited for, there will be a great risk of losing the early part of the crop, a circumstance that fre quently happens. In almost every instance, an unequal sample is produced, and the grain is for the most part of an inferior quality. By good judges, it is thought preferable to sow a quantity of seed sufficient to ensure a full crop, without depending on its sending out offsets; indeed, where that is clone, few offsets are produced, the crop grows and ripens equally, and the grain is uniformly good.