42 STUDIES OF AMERICAN BARLEYS AND MALTS. 



richer in extract material, but, according, to Prior, they malt less 

 easily. The weight per bushel is not so important as is this weight 

 taken in connection with the weight per 1,000 grains. 



As has already been stated, the weight per bushel varies from 42.5 

 to 51.5 pounds, with an average of 46.7, the sample of lowest weight 

 per bushel being from Montana and having also the lowest weight 

 per 1,000 grains and a high percentage of nitrogen. This relation 

 of high protein content to low bushel weight has been observed bv 

 many investigators, and almost invariably occurs when the sample 

 has, for some reason, failed to develop normally and fully. It is a 

 well-known physiological fact that the protein of cereals develops 

 to a very large extent comparatively early in the life of the plant, 

 whereas assimilation and the formation of carbohydrates may pro- 

 ceed as long as the leaves or stem contain any green coloring matter. 

 If for any cause the plant fails to develop a plump grain it will nat- 

 urally show not a larger amount of nitrogen but a relatively higher 

 percentage. The barleys from Ohio and Illinois, which contain the 

 lowest percentage of nitrogen, are characterized by being the heaviest. 

 The weight per 1,000 grains likewise shows a very wide variation, 

 19.9 grams to 33.5 grams, with an average of 26.9 grams, the smaller 

 grain showing a somewhat higher percentage of nitrogen. 



OTHER CONSTITUENTS OF BARLEY. 



The percentage of pentosans shows a variation from 8.31 per cent 

 in Ohio-grown barley to 11.51 in the sample from South Dakota. 

 These results indicate that a high content of hulls is accompanied 

 by a high percentage of fiber and of pentosans, as would be expected, 

 since grains with a high content of fiber generally yield the most 

 pentosans, because of a rather close connection, not necessarily ge- 

 netic, between fiber and pentosans. High-protein barleys contain the 

 most pentosans, on an average. 



The percentage of fiber varies from 4.34 to 6.68, with an average 

 of 5.76 for all samples. The average found by Clifford Richardson 

 was only 4.08. These variations from one } r ear to another are 

 probably due to weather conditions. It may be interesting also to 

 note that the sample grown in New York contained the least amount 

 of hulls (only 10.17 per cent), while the one from Montana contained 

 the largest amount (15.36 per cent). The high-protein barleys are 

 somewhat richer in fiber than are the low-protein barleys, thus cor- 

 roborating the researches of Bleisch and Regensburger/' 



The percentage of fat in the barleys grown in the different States 

 varied from 1.67 to 2.46, with an average of 2.02 per cent for all 



" Calabresi. Staz. sperim. agrar. ital., 1906, 39 : <*,0. 

 6 Zts. gesam. Bramv.. inon. 28: 628. 



