1 so On Malting^ 



win re any bro'^vn malt was making, and at one of these only 

 iwo stee|)iiigs were in operation. At another place a little 

 amber malt was in process, and these were the only porter 

 malts (except th^ pale) which occurred to notice in the whole 

 enquiry. In truth there cannot prevail a more erroneous 

 opinion than that which the agents of the watering party 

 endeavoured to inculcate, and apparently with much suc- 

 cess, in the comniitfee of enquiry into malting^ that the 

 Hertfordshire malts are mai.ufactured with an exclusive view- 

 to the brewing of porter, and are, on that account, unfit for 

 the brewin<i of country ales. Very little porter indeed (I 

 found it only at one house) is drunk in anv of the places 

 which I visited ; and the ales are all brewed from the same 

 pale malts which are sent in such abundance to the London 

 market. 



The vast mass of pale malt which I saw in operation is 

 perfectly well adapted for the brewing of every species of the 

 best ales that are or can be made in any part of the king- 

 dom ; and I humbly think that its superior weight, price, 

 and quantity of wort drawn from it, all demonstrate that it 

 really is the best and most productive malt made in the 

 kinmlom ; and sure I am that all its superiority results from 

 the mode of its manufacture. 



Much the greater part of thi^ malt is made from barleys 

 purchased in London, and brougiit thither from various and 

 distant parts of the country. I specially examined the bar- 

 leys at most of the houses, and found them of all varieties 

 and qualities. Very little regard was paid as to keeping the 

 lic'ht and heavy land barleys apart, provided they were nearly 

 of tiie same size, but small and light corn was separated 

 from the large and stronger grain. 



After returning to London irom the north, I again set 

 out into Surrey and the country west of London, where I 

 found the practice of watering the corn upon the floors very 

 general. I visited in all about 60 n)alt houses of this de- 

 scription. At some the stcepings were made at every third, 

 and at others every fourth day. From four to six floors were 

 depending at each house, and the sleepings were dried ofl'a 

 third part at a lime. For the first three days after the barley 



is 



