Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 4.djvu/312

268 cistern or couch frame, but the duty is charged on the greatest amount found, whether in the couch or on the floor or kiln. When the operation of steeping is complete the water is drained off in about half an hour by means of a gutter laid below the level of the cistern from end to end, with a proper fall, and covered with perforated iron plates. The perforated plates being movable, the gutter is easily cleaned and the plates replaced. The law requires that every cistern shall be permanently constructed with the sides and ends straight, and at right angles to each other, for facility of measurement ; the depth must not exceed 40 inches in any part ; the bottom must be even, with a fall of not more than half an inch per foot for drainage. No cistern can be used under a penalty of 100 until a certificate in writing from the supervisor has been obtained, stating that he has surveyed the utensil, and that it is constructed according to the requirements of law.

Couching.—The couch-frame is formed like the cistern, with the exception that the fourth side may be made of movable planks at least 2 inches in thickness. Before the year 1827 it was lawful to construct the couch-frame entirely of movable boards ; and couches made before that date may still be used by obtaining permission from the Board of Inland Revenue. Into this frame the grain is now thrown with wooden shovels. It must not be com pressed in any way, under heavy penalties, and must not exceed 30 inches in depth. If the excise officer has any suspicion that the grain has been trodden down, he may order it to be thrown back into the cistern and levelled. The officer will then gauge it again. If he finds that the quantity has increased more than 5 or 6 per cent, accord ing to the length of time the grain has been emptied from the cistern, any such increase over and above the 5 or C per cent, will be deemed conclusive evidence that the grain has been trodden or forced together. A. penalty of 100 is then incurred; and a like sum for maltsters or their men refusing to return the grain to the cistern. After twenty hours the maltster is at liberty to move the grain onito the floors; but, in cold weather, when sufficient heat to forward germination has not generated, it is left two days, and even longer ; but if left too long, the grain becomes sour. After sufficient time has elapsed, in order to prevent the heat rising too rapidly, and to equalize it through the whole body of grain, it is thrown forward on to the floors.

Flooring.—Here the grain must be kept level, with the edges straight to make it easy for the officers to gauge, which is done several times to prevent the introduction of uncharged grain. This operation of gauging requires great care, as, in large houses, a mistake of the tenth of an inch would make a difference of between 20 and 30 bushels to the maltster. On the floors an allowance of one-half is made for the rootlets ; this is generally quite sufficient. Each steeping is called a floor&quot; or piece, and must be laid in succession according to age, the most recent next the couch, and the oldest next the kiln. Maltsters may have six floors, including grain in the couch and on the kiln, in operation at one time. Germination now progresses ; the plumule, or stem begins to grow under the husk from the same end as the root, but instead of piercing the husk, turns round and proceeds under it to the other end of the grain. This would develop into the green leaf were its progress not stopped. Maltsters vary as to the length it is advisable to let the acrospire attain ; some like it not much more than half up the back of the grain, others like it ths or even ?ths of its length, because it is practically found that a friability of the starchy matter takes place paripassu with the length of the plumule. Unless the floors are worked with great skill and regularity, however, some are apt to protrude when carried to the latter extent. This shows an exhausted condition within. Malsters who sell by weight work the acrospire no higher than is absolutely necessary ; the higher it is worked the less starch and the more sugar is produced, and a corresponding loss in weight ensues. The maltster who sells by measure, however, likes to have the acrospire as high as he can, to increase the bulk of his malt. The writer s experience is that ales fine better, and keep better, when brewed from malt well worked up. In large mash tuns, where the heat can be maintained, it is not of so much importance ; but in small tuns, where less than twenty quarters are mashed, if the &quot; spire &quot; is up -?ths of the grain, so much the better, so long as it is uni form. The temperature on the floor rises to between 50 and GO ; the fibrils of the radicle, the &quot;chick,&quot; as it is technically called, shoot from the tip of every corn. The middle of the floor being the warmest starts soonest ; so, after a few hours, the grain is turned or stirred, so as to bring all to a similar state of forwardness. At this point conies the critical test of the maltster s skill ; no fixed rules can be laid down ; he must be guided by experience and circumstances. He has to consider the quality and growth of the barley, whether it came off light or heavy soil, the kind of malt intended to be made, the temperature and peculiarities of his particular malting. His principal object is to get the grain to work, and to work regularly, to accomplish which, and to check the too rapid growth of the rootlets, the grain must be turned several times daily, the interior being always brought to the surface by the shovels of the workmen. The grain is spread more thinly each time, the depth of it, originally 14 or 15 inches, being thus gradually lessened to 3 or 4. This brings it to the middle of the process ; it is then thickened as gradually as it was diminished until it is thrown on the kiln. The grain now emits an agreeable odour, something like apples ; and if the hand be thrust into the corn it is found wet enough to clamp it ; this is called sweating. The &quot; chick &quot; develops into several short bushy rootlets. As the acrospire grows the constituents undergo a great change ; the gluten and mucilage almost disappear ; the grain becomes white, mealy, and sweet; carbonic acid is produced; air is absorbed, almost as by animals in breathing ; and, consequently, air is necessary to the germination of the grain. It loses during this part of the process from 1^ to 3 per cent, in weight. There can be no doubt that it is of importance to the maltster that the law allows him to sprinkle water over the &quot;pieces&quot; on the floor; this may be done at the expiration of ninety hours after removal from the steep, provided such grain has been kept under water fifty hours. Sprinkling is generally commenced on the fifth or sixth day, notice having been given to the Excise twenty-four hours before. If in steep less than fifty hours it may not be sprinkled till the expiration of twelve days. Sprinkling is used most by maltsters who sell by measure, and therefore want to increase the bulk of their malt ; but there are seasons when it would be difficult to make good malt unless moisture were thus supplied, to make up the water lost during sweating. Too much light is detrimental, as appears from the fact that grain under the influence of uninterrupted light is inferior, unless the sky-light be covered with a coat ing of blue, which admits the actinic rays, and excludes the calorific and light rays, which hinder germination. Shutters on the sliding principle are the best for regulating both light and heat. Great care has to be taken not to damage the grain by turning, especially when it is spread thin. To obviate the necessity of turning as much as pos sible an instrument like a narrow shovel, called a plough, is used, which brings the grains underneath to the surface, &amp;lt;&amp;gt;nd into contact with the cold air, so keeping the germination 