l8o4« ■H'* Keith'' s Evidence before the Malt-Tax Committee, 349 



This Is only 681. 5s. id. more than half of tlje 12,2 7 jl. los. 61I. 

 tvhich the mnlt-tax produced when the duty was only -^- of vvliat It is 

 fince June laft ; and it proves both that the late Increafc of the dutie"? 

 on malt has produced no add'ttirjti to the Revenue, hut has been attended 

 with a real lofs (as fome huiuired pounds additioncd expcnces have been 

 incurred in colleftin^ it) ; and alfo, that the people of Aberdccnfhire 

 life only 5 bufliels of malr, whore they la!l year ufed 9 hufliels ; an equal 

 lofs to the agriculture of the county, and to the comfortable fubfillcnce 

 of its inhabitants. 



What Is the ufual time of reaping or cutting down and harvefting 

 barley and bigg \ . 



This depends very much on the feafon. Harveft begins In this county 

 at all periods from the loth of Augu^ to the i^th of September, for 

 cutting bear or bigg ; the medium may be about the 24th of Augufl. 

 Barley Is generally two weeks later than bear In our county, and in 

 a late fea foil three or four weeks later; In which cafe, It Is generally 

 an unprodu^live crop. In 17S2, 1 did not cut down my bear till the 

 13th of November. 



With refpecft to the harvefllng of bear or bigg after it Is cut down, 

 this depends upon the expofure of the field, on the (late of the weather, 

 and on Its being fown down with grafs feeds or not. If fown with 

 grafs feeds, In a late feafon the grain lodges, and both deflroys the grafs 

 and alfo irjures the fubfequent crop. With many other advantages In 

 favour of the nevv hufiiandry, this Is one of the dlfadvantages of an Im- 

 proved cultivation, In a bad feafon and a northerly climate, to which we 

 inuft fubmit for a greater advantage. 



Have you made any experiments to afcertain the different qualities of 

 barley, bear, and bigg, In regard to the ale and fplrits which each 

 will produce ? and under whofe authority did you make thefe expe- 

 riments ? • 



1 have made a number of experiments In dirLlIlatlon In the years i 799, 

 iSo2, and 1803. 



. The fiift was at the defire of the Scotch DIftlllery Committee, when 

 1 was before them as an evidence in 1798, and when the Committee 

 gave their recommendation In my favour to the CommllTioners of Excife 

 in Scotland. This firft ferles of experiments was therefore under th;: 

 joint authority of the Diftillery CotT\mIttee of the Houfe of Commons, 

 and of the Scotch Board of Eiiclfe. My parole evidence as to matters 

 of fa(ft, and my written anfwers to q icftions of fcience, are printed In 

 the Appendix to the Keport of the Diilillcry Committee in 1798 ; ancf 

 two reports of my experiments, along with a paper on the diltillery lavvg, 

 are publinicd In the Appendix to the Report of tile fame Committee In 

 1799. At that time 1 diftiiled nine kinds of fplrits, from malt, raw 

 grain, carrots, and potatoes. 



The fecond ferles of experiments was made In 1802, under the fo!e 

 authority of th.e Commiflioners of Excife in Scotland. That year t 

 dlftilled fifteen different kinds of fplrits from roots, with only a fmail 

 pniportlon of malt for promoting the fermentation. 



Z 1 The 



