I 



MOEPHOLOGY OP THE BAELEY GEAIiST. 27 



brucker, and the Bay Brewing usually represent mere group names for 

 general types of barley that are in no sense pure varieties. From each 

 of them many widely different strains may be isolated. Some of these 

 are early and some late, some are large berried and some small ber- 

 ried, some germinate quickly and some slowly. Wlien such a mix- 

 ture is malted, it is obvious that the malt must be lacldng in uni- 

 formity. Some of the acrospires will be protruding and some barely 

 started. Some of the grain will be overmalted and some undermalted. 

 The percentage of extract must necessarily be much lower than might 

 be procuretl from any one element of the mixture if the elements were 

 separated. 



The purifying of the common commercial varieties will result in a 

 more uniform malt and a higher percentage of extract. Any further 

 step toward a greater efficiency must fall back on the use of 2-rowed 

 barley. For botanical reasons, a 6-rowed variety can never be made 

 as uniform in the size and character of its grain as a 2-rowed. Cer- 

 tain usages in manufacturing not germane to this discussion may 

 demand 6-rowed varieties, but, considered only from the standpoint 

 of yield of extract, the 2-rowed sorts will always remain superior. 



AMERICAN BARLEYS. 



The application of the factors of endosperm conversion to Ameri- 

 can conditions is more simple than the diversity of production and 

 demand might indicate. There are in the United States but three 

 main barley-producing areas, the Pacific coast region, the Rocky 

 Mountain irrigated sections, and the upper Mississippi Valley. In 

 the three Western States, Cahfornia, Oregon, and Washington, the 

 climatic conditions are such that a barley peculiar to that section is 

 produced. The dry, sunny ripening season results in a starchy grain 

 of vers' low nitrogen content. This is true regardless of variety, 

 though variety exercises a noticeable influence. As a whole, all vari- 

 eties of this district are large grained. Even the common California 

 barley, which is 6-rowed, possesses a grain of greater size than many 

 of the 2-rowed varieties grown elsewhere. Indeed, even when grown 

 in the Plains Stat(!S it maintains its relatively liigli thousand-berry 

 weight, iiegardless of variety, the problem in th(^ West is, therefore, 

 to secure all the (mzymatic development possible. The large amount 

 of starch (•iHh)sperm to be converted makes this desirable. Although 

 any grain possc^sses enough diastatic power for the conversion of its 

 own endospenn, for malting purposes an excess is useful even though 

 it is not us(hI for tl)c conversion of jidchtional stjircli. A inon> uni- 

 form malt can b(^ made by hdlding h.ick ii powerful diastase tluit 

 evenly floods the endosper-m than hy I he iiclioii of a h-sser (jiiantity 

 tluit must puss from cell to (;eH in a more htful attacU. 



In the Rocky .\h)untain area, th(^ stai'ch formation is iisnall)' not so 

 piononneed jus nearer the cojist. The secreting surfaces in most, \ ari- 



