Barley, the crop.
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Growing
Barley has a shorter growing season than wheat. It is much less frost
hardy. It will produce better in poor environments than wheat so is
often found in acid, drought-prone and thin soils and at higher altitude.
Barley is typically much less stiff than wheat so tends to go flat if
over fertilised and so does not yield as much as wheat. It is generally
very susceptible to mildew.
Harvest
Barley is always awned. Barley harvest is notoriously itchy, mostly
due to small broken pieces of the awns. Ripening barley has a characteristic
smell that makes you want to start a combine up.
Oz