Barley Production for Brewing. 521 



BARLEY PRODUCTION FOR BREWING. 



Hints to Farmers on Growing and Harvesting Malting 



Barley. 



Among the industrial activities of the Uuiou, the brewiug of beer 

 occupies an important place, the total value of the output of our 

 breweries, including native beer breweries, according to the Industrial 

 Census of 1919, amounting to £1,173,000. Farmers are aware that 

 for many years past efforts have been made to ensure that the 

 breweries shall obtain a sufficiency of malting barley from local pro- 

 duction to meet their requirements, and the principal breweries have 

 figured prominently in this direction in encouraging the growing of 

 the desired type of barley through the distribution of seed to farmers 

 in the south-western Cape Province and also in the Transvaal. It 

 has recently been estimated that the requirements of the breweries 

 in respect of malt are equal approximately to 170,000 bags of barley 

 per annum. In addition to the large quantities of barley cut green, 

 the Union's production of barley (grain) is returned as follows : — 



Season 1917: 657,149 bags (150 lb.). 



^Season 1918: 329,290 bags (150 lb.). 



*Season 1919: 230,390 bags (150 lb.). 



Season 1920: 364,000 bags (150 lb.) (crop estimate). 



In actual quantity it will be seen that the Union produces far in 

 excess of the requirements of the breweries, but a great deal of the pro- 

 duction is not suitable for malting. In this connection it is interesting 

 to examine the trend of the importations of barley and malt from 

 oversea. In respect of barley there has been generally a steady 

 falling off. The average annual importation during the five years 

 1910-14 was 571 bags and of the succeeding five years 1915-19, 345 

 bags. Indeed in 1909 only 50 lb. of barley were imported. But the 

 following year, on account apparently of the serious shortfall in the 

 Union's barley crop of 1919, heavy importations were made, princi- 

 pally from Australia, to the extent of 48,718 bags. The same tendency 

 is observed in the case of malt. On the basis of 112 lb. malt being 

 equivalent to 150 lb. barley, it is seen that the average annual impor- 

 tation of barley (in the form of malt) was 111,121 bags during the 

 five years 1910-14, diminishing to 45,753 bags during 1915-19; during 

 1920 the importations amounted to 57,634 bags, also mostly from 

 Australia. Apart from the abnormal year of 1920, the importations 

 of barley have fallen to negligible quantities in recent years, and 

 those of malt have also shrunk to small proportions compared with 

 earlier years. In the meantime the brewing industry has been 

 developing, which points to the fact that the efforts to induce 

 the production of suitable malting barley in the Union have resulted 

 in a very satisfactory forward movement. 



* Not including native locations, returned at 9298 bags in 1917. 



