On Malting. 179 



derness were the only qualities in estimation there, and their 

 own malts preserved their superior prices entirely from these 

 characters. In the working process ihey knew that both the 

 root and acrospire consumed the substance of the barley, 

 and that the only mode of preserving weight in malt, was 

 by preventing tfiese from proceedirg any farther than was 

 consistent with the malting of the barley; and that this 

 could not be accomplished if the floors were w^alered, from 

 the too powerful vegetation which it promotes. Some of 

 them had been down in the lower parts of Suffolk, and in 

 other places where watering is practised, and had observed 

 there, thai the custom of watering resulted from improperly 

 allowing the young floors to heat, in order to forward the 

 private views of the maltsters ; and the consequence was 

 that much more root and a longer acrosf>ire were driven out 

 in these than in the Hertfordshire malts, and the former 

 were, on that account, for the mo»t part lighter than the 

 latter, by twenty pounds in four bushels. 



I also met with several intelligent common brewers, who 

 were likewise considerable maltsters, and who declared, that 

 their experience in brewing had confirmed to them that up- 

 wards of half a barrel of wort of equal quality could be 

 drawn from a quarter of unwatered malt more than from 

 malt which had been watered on the floors. They related 

 many other interesting particulars, all direetly in favour of 

 malt made without watering; and they declared their opi- 

 nions, both as brewers and maltsters, not only to be de- 

 cidedly in preference of such malts, but also that every va- 

 riety of barleys might be readily and best malted without any 

 sprinkling upon the floor. 



In my progress through the country I visited the brew- 

 eries, and examined the ales and goods in the mash tuns, 

 and more especially the grains, which were thin transparent 

 husks, and more perfectly spent than I ever recollect- seeing 

 before. The ujuai lengths were three barrels and a half to 

 a quarter of malt, and this I knnw to be upwards of half a 

 barrel more than th* brewers in Manchesiter draw from their 

 malts, and the ales of the latter I also think inferior. 



In the course of my journey I met with only two boyges 

 M 2 yihii% 



