"THAT BAD BEVERAGE, BEER" 373 



only hinders the progress of the subject as a whole, but in- 

 evitably hampers the worker after a time even in the selected 

 branch. 



In addition to the epoch-making work of Pasteur, one may 

 mention that of Peter Griess, whose notable researches were 

 carried out in the laboratory of Messrs. Allsopp at Burton-on- 

 Trent, and that of Cornelius O'Sullivan, the re-discoverer of 

 maltose, whose labours indicated the line of investigation which 

 is still being followed by students of the composition and 

 transformations of starch. His efforts have been extended and 

 supplemented by the independent investigations of Horace 

 Brown, who has also gained universal regard among scientific 

 workers by reason of his brilliant researches into the chemical 

 and physical aspects of vegetable physiology and the ingenuity 

 he has shown in the selection of fresh paths of inquiry. The 

 name of the late Dr. Hansen is but one of the many that might 

 be mentioned in proof that the brewing industry has supplied a 

 long and honourable list of workers in the field of science. 

 The opportunity may be taken to give a brief account of a 

 piece of work done recently by the writer, which had its 

 origin in the study of a technical problem connected with 

 brewing; the results, however, have proved to be of much 

 wider interest. 1 



The Seed Coats of Barley 



During an investigation of the water-absorbing properties of 

 the dry seed of barley, it was observed that the seed possesses 

 semi-permeable properties of a remarkable kind. It is, of 

 course, well known that when the dry seeds are immersed in 

 water they absorb the liquid to an extent of about 80 per cent, 

 of their original weight. But when the seeds were immersed in 

 a 5-per-cent. solution of sulphuric acid, it was found that the 

 water of the solution was alone absorbed, leaving the acid 

 outside, a result which seemed to indicate that the seed- 

 coverings possessed the property of semi-permeability. This 

 was worthy of attention, since hitherto it had been supposed 

 that among naturally-formed membranes the property of semi- 

 permeability was confined to those formed of living protoplasm, 



1 Annals of Botany, 1907, vol. xxi. p. 79 ; Proceedings of the Royal Society, 

 1909, B. vol. lxxxi. p. 82. 



