Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 1, 1802).djvu/195

Rh that breed in light and corrupted corn, sown in a moist and unfavourable season; but by others, and with more probability, to the influence of the atmosphere, wafting perhaps insects from such regions as are infested with them. Mr., of Adisham, and several other writers since his time, assert that the smut in corn (especially in wheat) may be effectually prevented, by simply steeping the seed in a brine made of lime, salt, and water; and that he never had any black wheat from seed thus steeped.—Experience, however, has frequently evinced the contrary; and as long as it remains undecided, whether the smut is conveyed by the air, or generated by small insects, we cannot after an adequate remedy for this troublesome and destructive disease in corn.—See the article.

The best sort of barley is that which is thick in the grain, smooth, weighty, inclining to a whitish colour, and neither too old nor new. Mr., an eminent maltster at Harleston, asserts, that out of a coomb of discoloured barley, more than two bushels will not, in most instances, work on a malting floor; nor can such grain, in his opinion, be relied upon for seed, as it does not vegetate better in the ground than on the floor. He therefore advises farmers to sow bright barley, or at least such as is kiln dried, which he knows from experience will vegetate; or to dry it in the spring by exposure to the sun; an expedient that may probably produce an effect similar to that of kiln-drying. We are much inclined to doubt the latter part of this information, though we allow Mr. the credit of having stated an useful fact, as far as it relates to the process of malting; but so long as the corculum, or heart of the seed, is not injured, we are of opinion that it will always germinate, independently of any external discoloration.

Uses.—Beside the almost incredible quantities of barley used in brewing ale and beer of different kinds, the consumption of this grain in broths is very considerable, especially in Scotland and Germany; in both countries barley-broth is as common a dish as soup in France. Hence pearl-barley is prepared in peculiar mills, where it is freed of the husk, and reduced to the size of small shot, by grinding away all the exterior parts to the very heart of the grain. The Scots and Germans, however, are more saving in their domestic economy, especially the lower classes of people, who frequently perform that process by hand-mills, or more commonly, in stamping-mortars, where the barley is freed from its husks, and rendered fit for culinary purposes. The latter are of a very simple construction, and may be very easily made, by excavating a heavy and firm block of wood sufficiently deep, from eighteen to twenty-four inches, and then adapting to it a wooden pestle, at the lower end of which a few large iron nails with smooth heads are generally fixed, for more effectually striking the barley and separating its husks. Such an implement is also useful for blanching wheat, oats, and many other articles for culinary purposes: we therefore seriously recommend its introduction into every family, which is desirous of reducing the consumption of bread-corn, and lessening