SACCHAROMETER FERMENTATION. 



make the sign of the cross upon it, by which they do 

 not always prevent evil spirits from guzzling their 

 sweet wort. In tending the COPPER, care should be 

 taken by stirring down the hops as they rise to the 

 surface, that it do not boil over; when boiling pro- 

 ceeds too rapidly, it will be necessary to set the cop- 

 per-grate door open awhile to damp the heat. After 

 boiling has proceeded a few minutes, the hops will 

 sink. In emptying the copper of worts, the necessity 

 will suggest itself, of putting a convenience across 

 the cooler or tub, two cross sticks for instance, in 

 order to hold the sieve, or straining basket. 



Those family brewers who choose to be hyper- 

 correct and curious may provide a SACCHAROMETER^ 

 the purchase of which, in a tin case, is six shillings. 

 With this they may find the specific gravity, or 

 strength of the wort, previously to fermentation. 

 Two bushels of good malt will yield full eighteen 

 pounds of saccharum, the matter of sugar. The 

 first wort, from malt of that quantity and quality, 

 per barrel of thirty-six gallons, will weigh about 

 thirty pounds heavier than water ; the second, 

 fifteen ; and the third, or small, about nine pounds 

 heavier than water. The old brewers judged of 

 their worts by weighing a pint, or a quart, the 

 goodness being supposed to consist in the gravity ; 

 the most curious of them also using a close cover 

 to every process, in order to prevent the waste of 

 evaporation. 



FERMENTATION. My brewer, in this part of the 

 process, took no further pains, than to distribute 

 the yeast over, and stir it into the surface. Others 



