WORT. 



iiij; it, and iivttl lo publifh fcvcr2l cafes, in a poftfcript to 

 the fecond edition of his work, in 1767, from which it 

 appears, that fcorbutic complaints of the mod dangerous 

 kind have adlually been cured at fea by the ufe of wort. 

 Its general efFefts were, to keep the patients open, and to 

 prove highly nutritious and llrengthcning ; it fomelimes 

 purged too much ; but this efledt was cafily obviated by 

 the tinftura thcbaica. Other unqucftionable cafes of its 

 fuccefs in this difeafe are to be feen in the London Med. 

 Obf. and Inq. vol. v. p. 61. See alfo Scurvy. 



The ufe of wort has hence been adopted in other cafes, 

 where a itrong putrid difpofition in the fluids appeared to 

 prevail, as in cancerous and phagxdenic ulcers ; and in- 

 itances are publiihed of its remarkable good cfFefts in 

 thefe cafes. See London Med. Obf. and Inq. vol. iv. 

 p. 367, Sec. Prieftley on Air, vol. 3. Appendix. 



As the efficacy of the malt infufion depends upon its pro- 

 ducing changes in the A'hole mafs of fluids, it is obvious 

 that it muil be taken in large quantities for a confiderable 

 length of time, and rather as an article of diet than medi- 

 cine. The quantity of one to four pints has generally been 

 direfted. See Scurvy. 



Wort, Improved Machine for Jlirring Malt in mai'ing of, 

 in Rural Economy, a contrivance for this purpofe in brew- 

 ing and diftilling, fuited to vats of this fort, which are em- 

 ployed in forming the wort or wafh. There are many 

 modes of llirring malt in tliL vats or tubs for malhing in, 

 employed in different places and inftances ; but they are in 

 moft cafes either expenfive, or inadequate to the purpofes 

 as well .IS the powers which are made ufe of in the work. 

 Among the former may be ranked the admirably well-con- 

 trived machine that is in ufe by Jellet and Co. at Dollhill, 

 in Somerfetfliire, which is on a planatory fyftem, and an- 

 fwers the intention very effeftually ; but its great coft, ren- 

 ders it liable to objeftion in many cafes. The well-known 

 contrivance of a male fcrew ftanding upright in the centre 

 of the vat, on which a bar works by means of a female 

 fcrew operating on the male ftandard one, and thus caufing 

 the fpikes with which the different wings of the bar are 

 armed to ftir the malt as the fpiral motion proceeds, is cer- 

 tainly fimple, neat, and cheap ; but as it requires two men, 

 one at each end, and makes but little change of locality 

 among the malt-grain, much cannot be urged in favour of 

 its efficiency for this ufe. The inftrument known by the 

 name of the hedge-hog, which is in ufe in fome breweries, 

 is a dreadful-looking machine, that would feem intended to 

 divide fome very tough or vifcous fubftance rather than to 

 flir malt in this intention. It confifls of a roller about two 

 feet in diameter, and fix or feven in length, made of iron 

 flvcleton work ; the longitudinal bars are bound with rings 

 or hoops, furniihed with fpiky rims, to keep in due bounds 

 a fort of chain-work, ar.-ned alfo with fpikes, which chains 

 revolve upon the rings as the frame rolls round, urged by 

 the power of hoifes, and thus not only tears a palfage 

 through the contents of the mafliing-vat, but keeps raking 

 them up, carrying a confiderable portion with the fpiky 

 chain quite over the wheel, and expofing the malt per- 

 petually to the influence and aftion of the air ; a praftice 

 invariably difapproved of by all good brewers. In this 

 cafe, there are expence, labour, frifiion, &c. all crowded into 

 one form, without any material advantage. 



A plan has, however, been lately fuggefted for flirring 

 malt while in the mafhing-vat by a machine or contrivance 

 wrought by the power of horfes, or in other ways, which is 

 nearly without friflion, and diverted of the intervention of 

 any fecondary aftion that may be troublefome or expenffve. 

 It is very fimple ; and one vat of this fort may be llirred 



by a very trifling power ; but as in large breweries and 

 diftilleries from malt a number of mafliing-vats are moitly 

 requifite, which generally require to be ftirred in fucceflion, 

 an arrangement is given for facilitating and bringing the 

 operations of live vats, one in the middle and four around it, 

 into a narrow or fmall compafs, and under the aftion of one 

 power ; which not only affords much convenience, but oc- 

 cafions the expence and the labour to be greatly leflened ; 

 confequently it may be ufeful in large as well as fmall 

 eftablifhments of this nature. 



In this plan, the centrical circular vat for this purpofe is 

 raifed fufficiently to admit the neceffary gear and other mat- 

 ters for a horfe-walk underneath it. The upright axle 

 paffes through the floor, and through the centre of the vat, 

 proceeding up to a beam in wiiich it moves in a metal bufh, 

 as it does alfo below, where it refts on a flep. It does not, 

 hovifever, touch either the floor or the vat ; but at the dif- 

 tance of a few inches it is furrounded by a cylinder, forming 

 part of the vat, which prevents its contents from pafling 

 through the aperture in the floor. This cyhnder corre- 

 fponds in height with the exterior edge of the vat, and is 

 firmly clofed at the bottom, where, as well as at the outer 

 part, it is rounded off, fo as to be the more eafily drained 

 and cleaned. 



As it is requifite at times to move the malt in the other 

 vats, while the central one is at reft, there arifes a necefTity 

 for conftrufting the wings of the fl:irring. frame in the lat- 

 ter in fuch a manner as may liberate them, leaving them 

 inaftive, while the axle proceeds in its ordinary revo- 

 lutions. 



The flirring.frame is made of iron ; it has four wings 

 ftanding at right angles, and they all join to an iron collar 

 which furrounds the axle at fome diftance, that is, leaving 

 about an inch intermediately all around. When the ftir- 

 ring-frame is to move with the axle, it is faftened to it by 

 two iron pins, with long handles, fo as to enable the work- 

 men to affix them in their proper fockets, without going 

 into the vat. Thefe pins pafs through the collar into the 

 axle, thereby caufing the fl;irring-frame to move round in 

 the vat, as the axle is moved round by the horfe, or other 

 power. 



As the ftirring-frame in the centre vat cannot be con- 

 nefted all the way down its depth with the axle, on account 

 of the cylinder, and as it would be liable to fwag, if de- 

 pending entirely on its junftion with the collar, oblique 

 flays are indifpenfable ; they are carried out about two- 

 thirds of the length of the frame, where they are rivetted : 

 their upper ends are fecured to another collar, furrounding 

 the axle above. 



Each wing of the frame confifts of two iron bars, one at 

 the top, and one at the bottom ; between the bars are three 

 fixed upright valves made of thin fheet-iron, and ftanding at 

 angles of forty-five degrees ; and they are faftened above 

 and below into the horizontal iron bars, fo as to be per- 

 feftly ftrong and fteady in their pofitions. The valves do 

 not, however, all ftand the fame way : the internal ones all 

 point inwards, the outward ones all point outwards, and the 

 middle ones alternately inwards and outwards. 



Thus far wlioUy relates to the centrical vat, which may 

 be furrounded by four others of lefs capacity, in which 

 there will be found the differences noticed below : i. That 

 the bottoms not being perforated no cylinders are re- 

 quired. 2. That the axles for their refpeftive frames reft 

 on.ftep3 at their bottoms, in which iron gudgeons move in 

 iron buflies. 3. That the frames all conneft with the axles 

 for the whole of their depth. And 4. That no flays or 

 collars are wanted in them. 



On 



