179 



impaired for brewing purposes is a matter of considerable 

 importance. 



I can readily understand that a change in the method of 

 transporting grain in India from the present system to one 

 based on an- elevator system, combined with official grading, 

 would have many advantages, particularly as regards railway 

 carriage, but a number of other advantages, attached to an 

 elevator system, would be lost (as regards exportation) if the 

 grain had to be sacked when transferred to the steamers, and 

 it is improbable that the grain would carry in such good con- 

 dition in bulk as it does in sack. 



As regards barley for brewing purposes, the three greatest 

 drawbacks at present are : 



(1) Weevil. 



(2) Heating. 



(3) Dirt and impurities. 



Weevil. I think this evil would be minimized if barley could 

 be stored in country elevators where it could be readily moved 

 from one bin to another, if it remained in store for any 

 length of time. I do not think the shipping of barley in bulk 

 would be advisable on account of the conditions being more 

 conducive to weevil development. 



The whole conditions prevailing in India are peculiarly 

 favourable to weevil development, and it is not practicable to 

 reduce the moisture in barley to 4 or 5 per cent, in order to 

 make it immune from weevil. 



Heating. If barley could be placed in proper storage, as 

 soon as threshed and delivered by the ryots and zemindars, 

 no doubt the damage by heating would be reduced to a 

 minimum ; but while Indian barley is liable to contain anything 

 from 4 to 30 per cent, of dead, decayed and heated grain, 

 which will not germinate, it will only be used for the lowest 

 class of malting barley, and at prices less than Californian, 

 Oregon, Smyrna and Mediterranean brewing barleys. 



Dirt and Impurities. Indian barleys are rapidly improving 

 in this respect, and with the continued use of the grain for 

 brewing this defect (which was very bad two and three years 

 ago) is already working out its own remedy. 



Mr. A. E. HUMPHRIES (contributed after the meeting} : I 

 wish to enter a caveat on two points arising out of that part of 

 Mr. Noel-Pat on' s paper which has been read. 



Provided any wheat is used for some special purpose, the 

 demand might be easily in excess of the supply at some given 

 period, and such a wheat may then realize a relatively much 

 higher price than it would do if there were a slightly or sub- 

 stantially larger supply. Mr. Noel-Paton pointed out that 

 most of the Indian wheat is exported soon after harvest, and 



