130 FEEDS AND FEEDING, ABRIDGED 



required for 100 lbs. gain with fattening pigs. Owing to its more 

 chaffy nature California feed barley is lower in value than common 

 barley. Tho higher than corn in crude protein, barley is still decid- 

 edly carbonaceous in character, and should be fed with legume hay 

 or with a nitrogenous concentrate for the best results. 



The malting process. — In making malt the barley grains are steeped 

 in warm water until soft and kept warm until they begin to sprout. 

 The amount of diastase, the enzyme which converts starch into malt 

 sugar, now increases greatly, and when sufficient diastase has been 

 formed in the grain, it is quickly dried. The tiny, dry, shriveled 

 sprouts are then separated from the grains, and put on the market as 

 malt sprouts. The dried grains remaining form malt. In the manu- 

 facture of beer, the malt, after being rolled, is moistened and usually 

 mixed with cracked corn which has been previously cooked. The dias- 

 tase in the malt now converts the starch in the corn and the malt into 

 malt sugar. This, together with some of the nitrogenous and mineral 

 matter, is then extracted from the mass and fermented by yeast, which 

 forms the alcohol in the beer. The freshly extracted residue consti- 

 tutes wet brewers' grains, which on drying in a vacuum are called 

 dried brewers' grains or brewers' dried grains. 



Dried brewers' grains. — Dried brewers' grains, which keep indefi- 

 nitely, contain over 70 per ct. more digestible crude protein and twice 

 as much fat as wheat bran, but are lower in carbohydrates, which are 

 largely pentosans. They are nearly as bulky as wheat bran. Dried 

 brewers ' grains are widely fed to dairy cows and serve well as part of 

 the concentrate allowance for horses, especially for those at hard work, 

 and needing an ample supply of protein. On account of their bulk, 

 they are not well suited to pigs. 



Wet brewers' grains. — Owing to their volume, watery nature, and 

 perishable character, wet brewers' grains are usually fed near the 

 brewery. Containing about 75 per ct. water, they have slightly over 

 o"ne-fourth the feeding value of an equal weight of dried grains. 

 Supplied in reasonable quantity, 20 to 30 lbs. per head daily, and fed 

 while fresh in clean, water-tight boxes and along with nutritious hay 

 and other roughage, there is no better food for dairy cows than wet 

 brewers' grains. However, the wet grains should never be fed to 

 dairy cows unless extreme care is taken to prevent the mangers and 

 surroundings from becoming foul. In Europe the wet grains are con- 

 sidered excellent for fattening cattle and swine when used with dry 

 feed and furnishing not over half the nutrients in the ration. On 

 account of their "washy" nature, they are not commonly used for 

 horses and sheep. 



Malt sprouts. — The tiny, shriveled sprouts separated from the dried 



