184 MALTING 



Ly giving notice of his intention to do so in his original notice ' to wet" 1 which must 

 date 24 hours previous to commencing that operation, and to give the day and hour 

 of the day for beginning the steep, all under the usual penalty of 100/. Nor may he 

 ' begin to wet at any other time than between the hours of eight in the morning and 

 two in the afternoon," under a penalty of 1002., nor may he take corn or grain from any 

 cistern at any other time than between the hours of seven in the morning and four in 

 the afternoon. To empty corn or grain out of any cistern, until the expiration of 

 ninety-six hours from the time of the last preceding emptying of any cistern in the 

 establishment, involves a penalty of 2001. ; and the same infliction occurs, ' if the corn 

 or grain be not emptied out of all such cisterns at one and the same time, or within 

 three hours after the clearing of the first cistern was commenced.' 



Maltsters are not to mix, either on the floor or kiln, any corn or grain of one wetting 

 with corn or grain of another wetting, under a penalty of 100Z. What is termed the 

 couch, or place in which the grain, after being steeped, is laid together for the purpose 

 of germination, is a supplementary apparatus of excise ingenuity, and no way neces- 

 sary to the success of the malting process. Here the grain, after having been gauged 

 in the steep, is again to be gauged with great care ; and if the maltster should tread or 

 compress the couch, so as to diminish its bulk, a penalty of 100. is imposed, though it 

 is obvious that a power of loosening or compressing this couch according to its tempe- 

 rature would greatly improve the formation of malt. However, ' all corn or graiii 

 emptied into the couch-frame is to be laid flat and level by the maltster, and so kept 

 24 hours at the least,' and similarly the floors are all to be placed level on pain of 

 1001. fine, so that any experimental essay at imDrovement is very likely to end in the 

 Court of Exchequer. Again, it frequently happens, or rather we should say, it 

 generally happens, that too little water is absorbed by the grain during the operation 

 of steeping ; the consequence of which is, that after being removed from the couch to 

 the floor, the grain desiccates, and, ceasing to germinate, speedily evolves a sickly 

 odour, and becomes mouldy, the incipient radicles at the same time drying and 

 shrinking up for want of moisture ; in fact, the grain withers and perishes from the 

 effect of drought, This condition is very frequent about the third and fourth day from 

 the couch, and is easily and effectually put a stop to by the application of a little 

 water. But now comes a rather awkward dilemma for the maltster : if the grain con- 

 tinue on the floor without being sprinkled, it is greatly damaged or altogether spoilt ; 

 if water be sprinkled upon it to restore vitality, the law says that ' corn or grain, 

 making into malt, must not be wetted or sprinkled with water before the expiration 

 of 12 days, or 288 hours, after the same shall have been taken from or out of the 

 cistern, under a penalty of 200Z.' Where, however, the steep has lasted for the full 

 period of 50 hours, and where, consequently, the want of water is less likely to be 

 felt, the maltster may sprinkle at the end of six days, or 144 hours; but in no case less 

 than this, though, as we have stated, the great urgency for the sprinkling process 

 occurs generally on the third day ; and it is an undeniable fact, that, in spite of the 

 heavy risk incurred, maltsters do almost invariably sprinkle their floors at about this 

 period, and are thus driven to the necessity of trusting in the good faith and dis- 

 cretion of some workman, to the injury of both parties. But the discriminating power 

 confided to excise officers in these matters is incredible. ' Whenever there shall be rea- 

 son to suspect, from the appearance of the grain on the floor, that it has been illegally 

 wetted or sprinkled, the officer must give immediate notice to the maltster, or his 

 servant, of such suspicion, and make a memorandum thereof, upon the specimen- 

 paper, and in the memorandum-book, mentioning whether anything, and what, was 

 stated by such maltster or any person on his behalf," &c. Nay, the views of the officer 

 are ordered to be put on record, as to an immense number of fortuitous circumstances, 

 all of which, of course, received an unfavourable signification : for instance, ' how the 

 kiln was loaded, and whether fed by a brisk or slow fire? whether the house seemed 

 in a state for running or wetting, or committing any other and what fraud ? what the 

 trader says, and what character he bears in his concerns with the revenue ? ' and 

 so on, in the most arbitrary spirit. Indeed, the officer is specially instructed to make 

 sudden and unexpected returns or visits, at unusual periods, so as to discover any 

 suspicious indications. Again, of the three separate gauges of malt which he may 

 take, whether in the cistern, in the couch, or on the floor, the officer must select the 

 largest for charging duty upon. Thus, if in the cistern he finds 78 bushels indicated, 

 in the couch subsequently 81 indicated, and on the floor 83 i, then the latter is 

 preferred ; and so with regard to the highest wherever found, the order being that 

 ' when the cistern or couch gauge is equal to or exceeds the floor gauge, then the best 

 cistern or couch gauge will be the charge ; but if that be less than the floor gauge, then 

 the floor gauge will be the charge.' Any accident or loss arising after the cistern gauge 

 is therefore thrown wholly on the maltster, who, far from being able to employ his 

 ingenuity in the improvement of his business processes, finds himself more than fully 



