THE SEASON'S BARLEYS, 1954

Sowings of Pioneer in England were smaller, and there was some reduction in Spratt‐Archer and Plumage‐Archer; more Herta, Rika and Carlsberg were sown, at the expense of Kenia and Freja. As a consequence of the appalling weather conditions, there were few really good barley samples, and the general average of malt quality will be inferior to that of the previous season. There were some good winter Plumage‐Archer barleys from Kent. In general, Earl was amongst the most successful varieties, but there were some good samples of Spratt‐Archer. Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire were amongst the most successful growing areas. The combine harvester and the extensive use of drying plant has undoubtedly allowed far better malting samples to be obtained than would otherwise have been the case.