2Q6 SEED STEEPING. 



thirty inches deep, in which state it is allowed to 

 remain about twenty-six hours. After this, the grain 

 begins to heat, and, if left to itself, would ere long 

 become so hot that it would be injured. This is pre- 

 vented, however, by the malster ; who takes care to 

 turn over and gradually diminish the thickness of the 

 heaps of malt about twice a day. When the steeped 

 grain is first couched, the surface grains soon dry up 

 a little ; but as soon as the heap begins to heat a 

 little, these grains again become moist; this is termed 

 the sweating of the grain, and shows that germi- 

 nation is commencing. 



694. The time required for malting varies ac- 

 cording to the temperature and the kind of malt it 

 is desired to make ; about fourteen days is the 

 average time. Winter is far better suited to malting 

 than summer, because in the former it is much easier 

 to regulate and keep down the temperature than it 

 is in summer. The malster judges of the progress 

 of his operation entirely by the growth of the young 

 roots, which the seed puts forth. 



695. In drying malt, the great object is to drive 

 oif water and destroy all further growth, without ex- 

 posing the malt to so high a temperature as would 

 risk its injury or decomposition ; as, in that case, the 

 sugar which had been formed would be destroyed 

 and lost. The application of heat, therefore, must 

 be very gentle and gradual ; in fact, the less heat 

 the malt is exposed to, the better will it be. When 

 thoroughly dried it is screened, so as to remove the 



