Phipson. — Transformation of Barley into Malt. 327 



If we now bisect a grain of barley longitudinally — that is, 

 through the ventral furrow — we shall find that the grain con- 



6 



d 



Diagram of a Longitudinal Section of a Barley-corn. 



A, endosperm ; B, germ, a, starch-containing cells of the endosperm ; 

 b, aleuroiie layer ; c, absorptive epithelium of the scutellum ; d. 

 plumule ; e, rootlets ; /, scutellum. 



sists of two principal parts — (1) the germ or embryo (the part 

 endowed with actual life) ; (2) the endosperm, the starchy por- 

 tion of the grain. 



The germ, which in the dried barley-corn forms only about 

 one-thirtieth of the whole, is separated from the endosperm by 



a barrier known as the " scutel- 

 lum." This scutellum consists 

 of layers of compressed empty 

 cells ; and on the side which is 

 pressed on the endosperm is 

 situated a layer of elongated 

 cells, known as the " absorptive 

 epithelial layer." These cells 

 have most important functions, 

 and play an important part in 

 the feeding of the young embryo 

 when it commences to develop 

 into a young plant. 



The germ consists of two dis- 

 tinct parts — plumule and root- 

 lets. During germination this 

 plumule becomes the acrospire 

 of the malt, and if the seed 

 were sown in the ground and 

 germination pushed on to com- 

 pletion the acrospire would develop into the actual stem of 

 the plant, and, under similar conditions, the rootlets would 

 form the roots. 



Section showing Epithelium 

 (greatly magnified). 



a, Empty compressed starch cells of 

 the endosperm ; b, absorptive 

 epithelium ; c, starch-containing 

 cells of the endosperm ; d, scu- 

 tellum. 



