Barley On Moist Land
Categories:
Grains and Forage Crops
What would you do with land subject to overflow by the Sacramento when
that river rises 20 feet, and which you wanted to plant to barley this
season? Would you take a chance on the river rising that high this year,
or wait until after that danger was over, and take a chance on not
getting enough rain to make the grain come up; also, if the river did
come up for 48 hours after the grain was in, but did not wash, would the
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grain be lost? Should the grain be planted deeper than on ordinary land,
and, if so, should a drill be used? How much seed should be sown per
acre on good river-bottom soil?
Get the barley in and watch for the overflow rather than to fear it. An
overflow for 48 hours would give you the greatest crop you ever saw,
unless it should be in a settling basin and the water forced to escape
by evaporation. From your description we judge that this is not so and
that the land clears itself quickly from an overflow. Depth of sowing
depends upon the character and condition of the soil - the lighter and
drier the deeper. By all means use a drill if the soil is dry on the
surface. Short rainfall makes the advantage of drill seeding most
conspicuous. On the University Farm 22 trials gave an average gain of
over 10 per cent in yield. The difference would be much greater in a dry
year; it might be 25 per cent greater, possibly, and save high-priced
seed at the same time, as about 90 pounds of seed per acre will do,
instead of 120 pounds broadcast, in accordance with the approved heavy
seeding practice on the river lands.