Chevalier Barley.

Has Chevalier barley more value to feed hens for egg production than common feed barley or wheat?

Chevalier barley is no better for chicken feed than any other barley which is equally large and plump.  Brewers like Chevalier because of its fullness of starch to support the malting process; also, because it is bright, that is, white, and not stained or tinged with bluish or reddish colors.  Color points do not count for chicken feed, but good plump kernels do.  Besides this, however, darker kernel (not chaff) usually indicates more protein, and therefore a darker kernel of either wheat or barley might be more valuable for feeding.  A hard, horny kernel is richer than a softer, more starchy one, either in wheat or barley.

Barley on Moist Land.

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 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.

Barley and Alfalfa.

I have some alfalfa which is a poor stand.  Can I disc it up heavily and seed in some barley for winter pasture?

You can get barley into your alfalfa as you propose, but you should not seed until fall.  The more barley you get into your alfalfa, however, the less alfalfa you will have afterward.  If you want to improve your afalfa, keep everything else out of the field and help the plants by regular irrigations during the balance of the growing season.

Beets and Potatoes.

Which is the best for dairy cows, plain red mangels or a cross between these and sugar beets?  Can you suggest a more profitable variety of potato than the Oregon Burbank?