In England, the best barley soils are usually lighter than the best wheat soils. This is probably due to the fact that barley usually follows a crop of turnips--more or less of which are eaten off on the land by sheep. The trampling of the sheep compresses the soil, and makes even a light, sandy one firmer in texture. In this country, our best wheat land is also our best barley land, _provided_ it is in good heart, and is very thoroughly worked. It is no use sowing barley on heavy land half worked. It will do better on light soils; but if the clayey soils are made fine and mellow, they produce with us the best barley. In chemical composition, barley is quite similar to wheat. Mr. Lawes and Dr. Gilbert give the composition of a wheat-crop of 30 bushels per acre, 1,800 lbs. of grain, and 3,000 lbs. of straw; and of a crop of barley, 40 bushels per acre, 2,080 lbs. grain, and 2,500 lbs. of straw, as follows: ----------------+----------------+----------------+------------------ | In Grain. | In Straw. | In Total Produce. +-------+--------+-------+--------+----------+------- | Wheat | Barley | Wheat | Barley | Wheat | Barley | lbs. | lbs. | lbs. | lbs. | lbs. | lbs. Nitrogen | 32. | 33. | 13. | 12. | 45. | 45. Phosphoric acid | 16. | 17. | 7. | 5. | 23. | 22. Potash | 9.5 | 11.5 | 20.5 | 18.5 | 30. | 30. Lime | 1. | 1.5 | 9. | 10.5 | 10. | 12. Magnesia | 3.5 | 4. | 3. | 2.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 Silica | 0.5 | 12. | 99.5 | 63. | 100. | 75. ----------------+-------+--------+-------+--------+----------+------- A few years ago, when the midge destroyed our wheat, many farmers in Western New York raised “winter barley,” instead of “winter wheat,” and I have seen remarkably heavy crops of this winter barley. It is not now grown with us. The maltsters would not pay as much for it as for spring barley, and as the midge troubles us less, our farmers are raising winter wheat again. Where, as with us, we raise winter wheat and spring barley, the difference between the two crops, taking the above estimate of yield and proportion of grain to straw, would be: 1st. Almost identical composition in regard to nitrogen, phosphoric acid, potash, lime, and magnesia; but as it has more straw, the wheat-crop removes a larger amount of silica than barley.