236 The Feeding of Animals 



Brewers' by -products. Sugar in some form is at 

 present essential to the production of alcoholic bev- 

 erages, a cheap supply of which is obtained by con- 

 verting the starch of certain cereal grains into maltose, 

 which afterward passes into fermentable sugars. This 

 result is accomplished by placing barley and other 

 grains under such conditions of moisture and tempera- 

 ture that they germinate. We have already seen that 

 during germination the starch of a seed is converted 

 into maltose through the action of a diastatic ferment, 

 and the maltster arrests this germination at a point 

 which gives the maximum quantity of sugar. The 

 malted grains are subsequently dried and the sprouts 

 after removal appear in our markets in an air-dry con- 

 dition, constituting one of our valuable nitrogenous 

 feeding stuffs. The malted grains are then crushed, 

 the sugar is extracted from them, and the residue is 

 known in commerce as brewer's grains, a by-product 

 feeding stuff fairly rich in protein. The high propor- 

 tion of protein is due to the fact that the starch has 

 been partially used up, leaving the other constituents 

 behind in a more concentrated form. These grains are 

 mostly dried and may then be shipped to distant mar- 

 kets in a perfectly sound and healthful condition. 



Residues from starch and glucose manufacture. 

 Within a comparatively recent time the gluten meals 

 and feeds have assumed an important place among 

 our commercial feeding stuffs. These materials and 

 others bearing related names vary within wide limits 

 in texture and composition, and concerning their quali- 

 ties and value there has existed among the farmers 



