GUAmmM. 617 



medicine and as food for tlie sick, pearl-barley is always 

 employed; this is tlie grain deprived of its husk by passing it 

 between horizontal mill-stones, placed so far apart as to rub ofE 

 the integuments without crushing it. Pearl-barley imported 

 from Europe is obtainable in most Indian bazars. For an 

 account of the economic uses of barley, we would refer the 

 reader to an article by Dr. J. Murray in the Diet. Econ. Prod, 

 of India (iv,, p. 273) • 



Description. — The structure of the barley-grain after 

 the palesG have been removed is similar to that of wheat (see 

 Triticum). The palece consist chiefly of long fibrous, thick- 

 walled cells, two or four rows deep, constituting a yery hard 

 layer. On transverse section, this layer forms a coherent 

 envelope, about 35 mkm. thick; its cells, when examined in 

 longitudinal section, show but a small lumen of peculiar 

 undulated outline from secondary deposits. {Pharmacographia,) 



Chemical composition.— The following figures representing 

 the average minimum, maximum, and mean composition of 

 127 samples of barley from different sources are quoted by 



Konig 



Water. Albuminoids. Fat. Zi^!!fL"; Cellulose. Ash. 



free extract. 



Minimum... 7-23 6-20 1-03 49-11 1-96 '6 



Maximum. ..20-88 17-46 4-87 72-20 14-16 6-92 



Mean ...13-77 11-14 2-16 64-93 5-31 269 



According to Churcli, the average percentage composition of 

 Husked Indian barley is, water 12-5, albuminoids 11-5, starch 

 70-0, oil 1-3, fibre 26, ash 2*1. 



Lcrmer {Viertel/ahresschr. fur p-aM. Phann., XII. (1863), 

 4-23) found European barley to have the following percentage 

 composition :-Water 13 to 15, oil 3-0, starch 63-0, cellulose 7^0, 

 dextrin 6'6, nitrogen 2-5, ash 2-4, lactic acid a trace. _ The 

 protein or albuminous matter consists of different principles, 

 cMefly insoluble in cold water. The soluble portion is partly 

 coagulated on boiHng, partly retained in solution. 2-5 per cent, 

 of nitrogen, as above, would answer to about 16 per cent of 



HI.— 78 



