60 STUDIES OF AMERICAN BARLEYS AND MALTS. 



barley on soaking, it seems quite safe to .Assume that the results on 

 the loss of these materials obtained by Wilfarth, Romer, and Wimmer " 

 were not caused, as they conclude, by the excretion of plant food 

 from the roots of plants, but by the action of rainfall, which may 

 wash off the plant food that has exuded on the surface of the plant. 



The loss on germination is of great importance from an economic 

 view point. The extent of this loss, which is due to the growth of the 

 germ, to respiration, and to the fact that some of the constituents 

 of the barley are dissolved during the process of steeping, varies con- 

 siderably in the various barleys. However, the variation in loss in 

 barleys of the same variety is greater than the difference in loss be- 

 tween barleys of different varieties. This is due chiefly to the differ- 

 ent methods of malting employed. The loss on germination as esti- 

 mated from the 1,000-grain weight in the 30 samples of 6-row bar- 

 ley was over 20 per cent in some cases, especially in the sample from 

 Xew York. 2 samples from Minnesota, and 1 from Wisconsin. On an 

 average, however, the 6-row Manchurian or Oderbrucker barleys 

 experienced a smaller loss during malting than those just cited, as 

 did likewise the 6-row Bay Brewing barley and the 2-row barleys, as 

 may be seen from the following table : 



Coniiiri*i>n of flic /ox.v on in<iltin</ iliy'i /< ,it kinds of Ixirlci/. 



These results agree quite well with those of Kunz," who found from 

 to 13 per cent to be the average loss during malting. Among the 

 samples of 6-row barleys which were malted it is seen that on an 

 average the loss of protein during this process has been greater in 

 the high-protein than in the low-protein barleys: that is. 16 and 12 

 per cent, respectively. 



CONCLUSIONS. 



This study of the composition of American-grown barleys and 

 malts has been made in an attempt to show the relative value for 

 alcohol production and for brewing of the ordinary 6-row and 

 2-row varieties produced in different portions of the United State-. 

 The determination and comparison of the composition of these bar- 

 leys and the corresponding malts have afforded an opportunity to 

 study chemically and physically the changes taking place during the 

 malting of the barley. The tabulated data give these comparative 



Loc. cit 



