weight per bushel: and it is now the opinion of some practical men, that the best bigg is very little inferior to barley for malting.
In malting barley, the loss in weight is from 21 to 22 per cent. Of this 14 consists of moisture, 1½ disappears during the steeping, 3 on the floors, 3 by commings or rootlets, and the waste 1½. As barley when thoroughly dried loses 6 per cent. of moisture, Professor Thomson considers the actual loss in malting as only 8 per cent.
The specific gravity of barley is from 1.280 to 1.333, that of malt 1.201.
From the interesting experiments of Messrs. Colin and Edwards upon the germination of different kinds of grain, it appears that when wheat, barley, French beans, or linseed, were immersed for a quarter of an hour in water at the temperature of 154° F., the power of germination was completely destroyed; and that water at 122° F. is the highest limit at which it is possible for barley to germinate after immersion.
It is very beneficial to kiln-dry the barley before malting. In the early part of the malting season, when the barley is damp, it cannot be made into good malt, unless thoroughly dried on the kiln. The grain absorbs moisture with greater avidity and regularity, and the process is facilitated. In good seasons, when barley is abundant, of good quality, and of a low price, brewers would find it
