The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1807-09-24 00:00:00

THE AC ROSPI RE.

In the malting trade a great diversity of opinion
prevails as to how far the vegetation at the acros-
pire should be carried. 'Phis arises from a notion,
very general anions maltsters, that just so far as the
acrospire penetrates the grain, it becomes malted,
and that the impenetrated part remains unchanged
barley. I trust, however, that I shall soon shew
there is nothing either of truth or nature in this no-
tion. The evidence of Messrs. King and Clough
sufficiently establishes, that the best malt is made
when the acrospite proceeds only two-thirds through
the grain; and it is my present purpose to prove,
that their opinion and pradsce ate supported by the
natural reason of the case.

I have already stated, that it is thexadicle which
first acquires an attratlion for the oxygen of the at.
mosphs re, communicating it progressively to the in-
terior substance of the barley, and forming by its
fixation and union with the farina, the first 14cch4-
rise, and that afterwards the plumula, or infant
stem, requires an attraoltion for the newly-formed
sa:cha;ine, and by its chemical action is pushed into
vegetable life. .

'in this statement a solution is given of the ques-
tion of the aerospire, and the truth really is, that
the radicle is the only natural organ which melts
the holey. er in other words, oxidites the intelicir

irobstante, sal forms the whale of the sacchnine, ,
while the acrospire is simply employed in feeding
upon it, and from thence acquiring its growth and
bulk.
This obvious, and I trust just and natural dis-
tinSion in the offices which nature assigns to each
of those different members of the plant, sufficiently
explains woy the bailey miy be, and aftually is,
perteCtly milted by the Hertfordshire method,
though the acrospire has proceeded only two-thirds
through the grain; because in the more slow and
natural growth of the acrospire, the root has had
time to malt the interior substance beyond it, and
even to the es rens... end of the corn, whereas in the
ni unnatural forcing of the watering mode, the
acrospire is driven forward as rapidly, though
without having any immediate connexion with the
osydation ; and ocius an ac,:idental occurrence has
been erroneously mounted up into a cause. It is
mistrial to remark, that in brewing, the acrospire
is insoluble, and always appears so among the spent '
grains, hence the lager it grows, the more it con-
tributes to waste.

The preceding accnuqt of the radide and acro-
spire so tar simplifies the question of malting. as to
concentrate it to this limited lute, {hat that mosil of
working will necessarily be the best whic:i can ac-
complish the full malting of the barley with the
smallest radicle and acrospire ; for both, as 1 have
already .hewn, are supported irons the interior sub-
stance, and just in proportion as they are advanced
in hulk, that portion of the malt which yields the
fermentative extras will be diminished.

On page 40 of the printed evidence, Mr. Delafield
stattc, that h.• has found malt, made by sprink-
ling, to yield from 15 to '2O pounds weight in four
hu,hels less th in an equal quantity of malt which
had ii it b, en watered ; and on page 43, Mr. Mar-
tirrena declar. s, that sprinkled malt,affords only 61
pounds of extract, when a like quan•iry of nowt-
tered malt gave as high as Mr put:nds ; other pas--
sages of the evidence also prove, that watered malt
is lighter, and, on the: ac-ount,:c.s 7roduelive than
the clertfoidshire malt; buc 1.0 explanation of the
immediate cause of so material a ditfelei.cz I. any
where attempted here; however. I would hurally
summit the true cause to he in the c.imparative
smallness bash of t.se root and acrospire io the Fleet-
r .rdshire malt, whereby less of the suostance of
tie grain I, consumed, aid that it is the long and
bunchy root aid 1 age acrosinre of watered matt
mat lender it so 'opt and unproductive.

TKMPERAI UAL OF THE FLOURS IN MALTING.
There is no one circuinsiance in the manutattur-
, lag of good malt that merits so constant and careful ,
an attention to the working floors, as this tempera-
ture. Theis is a certain maximum of heat mat is
, the hest adapted to malting, and with which the
vegetation will promd is tie safest an! most natu-
ral carder; either above or below this temperature
is ait sadvantage. ►ut an eleess and Lluauation of
heat are highly injurious in a malt-house. In what--
ewer way the floors are worked, the temperance will
continue to rise in proportion to the time they lie
undisturbed, and the only method of checking the
rise is by turning them.
Mamie is the remote cause of all heat in Vega.
table substances. heaped together, and containing a
farinaceous or starchy matter. This matter passes
into a state of fermentation, enemas oaygen from
the atmosphere, which. in it; fixation, parts with the
latent heat it was before combined with, and this
accumulating in the heap, will frequently rise to in-
dairmation. The beat of a dunghill, moist hay-
rick, wet barley, and all other shutter heaps of wet
vegetable matter. originate in one and use same
natural cause. Is floors of malt the heat is always
in proportion to the quantum of moisture and re-
pose of the floor.
The chief ebjedk in a well-regulated malt.hoase
is not only to preserve the Yours in one equable
state of temperature from the cistern to the kiln,
but more especially to preserve every part of the
same floor in an equal warmth. A departure from
this produces an unequal vegetation. In the Hert-
fordshire method ot working. as there never is any
increase of moisture after the corn leaves the cistern,
an equable and steady temperature in both of the
preceding Cases can be preserved with much cer-
tainty ; but under the practice of watering the
floors it is not piaeticable to maintain the same
equal degrei. of temperature either in the progress
of the floors to Cie kiln, er in the different parts of
the same floor, and the consequence is, that a toned,
a fluetuatiog, and an unequal vegetation, is induced
in the same steeping, and the malt thereby becomes
greatly injured. It is beat in the first instance that
dissipates the water which the grain had imbibed in
the cistern, and renders subsequent watering ne-
cessary. The doors cannot be heated without an
expenditure of moisture. for the warmth sweats tne
water out dale corn, and when the door is turned,
the moisture on the husk flies off by evaporation;
hence, though the water is at first the cause of the
beat, the heat again renders more water indispen-
' sable. The flaws in Henfordshire are never wa-
tered, simply because they are never heated ; and
it is the cool state is which they are kept in the
early stage of malting that preserves the original
moisture, and induces that slue and natural vegeta-
tion so necessary to prevent the substance ot the
' grain from being run out.
Mr. Reynoldson, in his evidence, states that the
water imbibed in the cistern is employed in forming
the root, and that the root afterwards us employe) la
supplying the grain, and hence he infers that ',este
water is neress try on the floors. This description
is tolerably just, when applied to the watering prac-
tice, but by no means so in that of the I terttoi dshire.
In the former, the cistern water, as I have ahead;
stated, is nearly all expended in tie fir,t five or six
days. by the employment of heat to drive out a ra
pid vegetation of the rout, but in tLic latter, seven or
eight days are employed to veietAte a lea. root. It
is in this that the .wo practices differ must from
each other.

Mr. Reynol.t,on also states, that the water re-
ceived into the grain becomes decompose!, acid after
such decompootion,eaudes from grain 111 a state
unfit for vegetation, and hence be 441413 inters the
• fly of fresh water by sprinkling. This II
Another of that gentleman's unpliilosophical asser-
tions which is without foundation ; in the chemicA.
An4lysil oh water, only two produds are obLained,
viz. hydrrigen and oxygen; and there, when sip.,
rated, have miter yet appeart-1 in any other form
than that apse.. Tr:• dwomp;,ed water 0! Mr

Circe is th.,! Paster/4 Spen4ll schooner letter of
maretv, cd t o guts, And 0 setniJeom Ltilbna, b urui
to Afmrica, cAptured by the Nare,ssas frt.
g.tte ; Dins gslhor Vries, Burlin, detained by
the Anriliyet ; rud eie Drili‘h brig Hiaavunii, da
tellied by the Seel/de.

LM CLLNLLS. SLPT. 11.
Sailed from the core, this morning. His Ma-
jesty's ship Grouter, with the trade under convoy,
for the Baltic, with a fine breeze at S.W.

IMATISItfORD, It !PT 19
Yesterday morning the lictart, pocket, Capt
Stephings. arrived here from ; she
board the remains of the Lady of the Archbishop of
loam.

_______.........m.
:7,-7—:••••••,....7,-.,,,,,,,,....p,,,„,„,
Reynoldson is nothing more OM 16 pope watt,
imbibed in the cistern. mid injoistlaosly *maw
ON On the surface o. oho vein.
andMtuhceh
aigseastdofirnthUlinnepailistill4llo.ll4l:ww.antabolltimmtingimillitprztee74:
..
watering the core no this
I have, however, much-mom
•ag the c.,r,.
trary. Flint is allowed In ' fry;
.original th. a,
L.. iiginal substance of die
me e ar 4491611101
in the malt is thetelov* -: It esasto ei
of little hard knob. • . .
.......J..... .1
.A., ,tido al
insoluble, and so f . ~ .
natural cause, I a . A
6,
the heat improper! _f
la
la
. ~
especially of waterer/ t
ri
the glwinnus mucila gs,..
11, to rais ime a II
clammy substance, so
pl,
ing part of the farina, a lupe tie 7
working floors and of rd ou 'be
into that substance ea •iu the. 2.4 N
heating the young I ware is a .. -41 ii
the watering party, and Milk -4;
tord,hire from the see. it is
. , ...
sorely reasonable to c• • r
system, amongst its other ' dm=
source of flinty malt.
(To be ' ~)
. .. .
NAVAL INTN 16.111101 r. 1
to Obi 011ie n. S
ba
This afternoon the ron!, ' gess, asti,wi
rAlt
from the Mediterranean ; the being to AI
Westward, and a lee tide, she ' am go Mille I
Mother Bank, hut brought to at ypane(
Spithead. The Custom-House collet it alongside.
and will bring ashore any dispatchm she may bay.
brought. in the clime of the evening. I
Sailed the Sprightfy cutter, fur the Downs, with r
a convoy. A
Sir Isaac Coffin has shifted his lag to Spitheads a
on board the Roost Willits, Admiral Montage.
being away on leave,
eivrecorrn, seer. 21.
Arrived His M(ksty's ship /Mende, I It) guar,
Capt. Corm, from the Channel Fleet, and the H.
tad sloop, 14 gain. Capt. Ditkes, after a cruise of a
it weeks off lt•Asefort ; Arr..•:..1 Also a Spanis't a
pi ivatm brig, pwrcecl for IS guns, IA only mount. i
fed, a ler z to tl.e Pinning, frigate.
Came i:i the Pastwria Spaniji schooner litter of
=tram., of I 0 go,i,, And 4...3 01-flgrfonl Balm. b and
1,. A ~,,I, A,,,,. r;e, , l I•.tre.rl Ist• 0,.. /—.......... I.: