218 



HISTORY OP THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 



less quality aecordiiig to the quality of the malt 

 — a small proportion of gluten, and mucilage in 

 considerable quantity. The wort is afterwards 

 boHed with fiops,v/hich are the pericarps and seeds 

 of the female flower of the hamulus luptihis,aiic£- 

 cious plant of the family of urticea. The use of 

 the hops is partly to communicate a pec\iliar 

 flavour, from the essential oil which they con- 

 tain, partly to neutralize the sweetness of the 

 saccharine matter by the bitter principle which 

 they contain, and partly to counteract the tendency 

 wliich wort has to run into acidity. The wort 

 is now placed in flat vessels to cool, and when 

 brought down to 62° is then put into a deep vat 

 or fermenting tun. When fermentation takes 

 place, the temperature rises, a scum collects on 

 the surface, and the whole ingredients assume a 

 new action. In order to induce and accelerate 

 this fermentation, a quantity oi^/east is added, in 

 proportion of about a gallon to every three barrels 

 of wort. In ale wort the rise of temperature is 

 about 15°, in stronger wash, for the purpose of 

 distillation, the increase of temperature is some- 

 times 60°. The fermented liquor is also speci- 

 fically lighter than the wort, and now contains 

 alcohol in place of the displaced saccharine mat- 

 ter of which it was originally for the most part 

 composed. 



Oats (avena). This grain differs in its ex- 

 ternal appearance from wheat, barley, or rye, 

 especially in the form of the ear. Tlie ear is a 

 panicle formed by the rachis, dividing into nu- 

 merous branches, the large ones being at the base, 

 while towards the top they gradually decrease, 

 thus forming a conical or tapering figure. Wliile 

 the ear is yet recent the branches are erect ; but 

 as the seeds advance towards maturity, and be- 

 come full and heavy, they assume a dependent 

 form. By this position the air and light has 

 more free access to the ripening grains, while the 

 rain washes oft' the eggs or larvse of insects that 

 would otherwise prey upon the young seeds. 

 From these circumstances, as well as from the 

 nature of the plant generally, oats are found to 

 be of such a hardy nature as to thrive in soils 

 and climates where the other grains cannot be 

 raised. Cold and wet climates are not unfavour- 

 able to the production of oats ; while, on the con- 

 trary, extreme heat and drought render this grain 

 husky and tasteless. We accordingly find the 

 oat thriving in great luxuriance in northern cli- 

 mates, while it cannot be cultivated with any 

 success in the southern parts of the temperate 

 zone. Even in the south of England the pro- 

 duce is inferior to that which is obtained in the 

 more northern districts and in Scotland. 



There are now no means of ascertaining the 

 period when oats were first introduced into Eng- 

 land ; indeed some suppose that this grain is in- 

 digenous to the country. 



Avena Saliva. Of this, the species most com- 



monly cultivated, tliere are se-veral varieties, as 

 tlie bearded or long black oat, a; the white oat, 

 b; the red oat, and the naked or pilcom. 



The best variety of oats produced in Great 

 Britain is unquestionably the potatoe oat. Of 

 this kind the first plants were discovered grow- 

 ing accidentally on a heap of manure in company 

 with several potatoe plants, the growth of which 

 was equally accidental ; and it is to this circum- 

 stance that the distinctive name of this variety 

 is owing. To an occurrence thus purely acci- 

 dental, and whiclr might well have passed unno- 

 ticed, we are indebted for decidedly the best and 

 most profitable variety Ave possess of this useful 

 grain. It requires to be sown on land in a good 

 state of cultivation, when the grains on ripening 

 will be found large, plump, and firm, often 

 double, and of a quality which insures for tlie 

 corn a higher price in the market than is given 

 for any other variety. It also yields an abun- 

 dant produce of straw. Potatoe oats form al- 

 most the only kind now cultivated in the north 

 of England and the lowland districts of Scot- 

 land. 



The seed-time of oats is almost universally in 

 March and April. The grain is scattered broad- 

 cast, in the large proportion of from four to six 

 bushels to the acre, the medium produce of which 

 is from forty to fifty bushels. 



The nutritive quality of oats is smaller in a 

 given weight than that of any other cereal grains. 

 In oats of the best quality it does not exceed 75 

 per cent., while that of wheat is 95-J per cent. 

 The very small propoi'tion of saccharine matter 

 ready formed in oats renders it very difficult and 

 unprofitable to convert this grain into malt. 

 Brewers at the present day do not employ oats 

 in the preparation of any kind of beer. In former 

 times, when the public taste was different from 

 what it is at present, a drink called mum was 

 manufactured for sale, and in the preparation of 

 this liquid oatmeal was employed. The princi- 

 pal use now made of oats in the southern divi- 

 sion of the kingdom is the feeding of horses, for 

 which purpose the grain is admirably adapted ; 

 a large quantity of this grain is farther consumed 

 in the fattening of poultry. The deer of Henry 

 VIII. were fed with oats. In the privy purse 

 expenses of this king (published by Mr Nicolas), 

 is the following entry : — " Paied to the kepor of 



