THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



245 



heavy looking body, surmounted by 

 two feathery styles which are ready to 

 entangle the floating grains of powdery 

 pollen. After fertilization the ovary 

 increases rapidly in size, and soon 

 attains the well known shape and 

 dimensions of a barley corn. Whilst 

 the contents are still soft and milky it 

 is very easy to strip off the pericarp 

 or covering of the ovary, and at the 

 base a small peculiar shaped body can 

 easily be detected and detached, this 

 is the embryo or germ of the future 

 plant which is remarkably minute in 

 comparison to the other contents of the 

 ovary, which are known as endosperm, 

 and are of a highly specialised character, 

 being rich in nitrogenous substances, 

 hence their value as food both to 

 animals and the infant plantlet, for that 

 is the primary function of the endosperm, 

 a store of food to start the young 

 plant on its independent career. The 

 small detached embryo looks like half 

 an oyster or scallop shell — the scutell- 

 um — with its flat inner face adherent 

 to the endosperm and bearing on its 

 back a small sac constricted in the 

 middle. In germination from the 

 lower and more rounded portion would 

 originate the roots of the young plant, 

 whilst from the upper part would be 

 developed the infant stem, the scutellum 

 meanwhile plays the part of a mouth 

 sucking up the prepared pap of 

 endosperm and transferring it to the 

 growing plantlet till its roots are able 



to absorb and assimilate nutriment for 

 itself. During this process in the 

 wonderful laboratory of nature a 

 marvellous chemical change takes 

 place in the constituents of the seed, 

 the starchy flour is transformed into 

 a sugary substance, soluble in water 

 and so mutable as to be easily assimil- 

 able by the growing plant and built 

 up in its structure. It is this principle 

 which is taken advantage of by the 

 maltster, who by artificial means 

 encourages speedy germination for 

 which moisture and warmth are 

 essential. In the formation of malt 

 the grains of barley are steeped in 

 water till they have absorbed a 

 sufficiency of moisture, when being 

 heaped together warmth is generated 

 and germination speedily ensues. This 

 is allowed to go on for a sufficient 

 time to allow of the complete chemical 

 change in the seed to take place, when 

 it is checked by drying on a kiln, then 

 the grain being bruised to allow for a 

 ready maceration in warm water, the 

 now soluble contents are readily 

 dissolved, and the fluid being acted 

 upon by fermentation is transmuted 

 into beer, or when volatilised by dis- 

 tillation the more pungent whisky is 

 evolved. Without trenching on the 

 ethics of temperance or drunkeness 

 it is scarcely possible to conceive of a 

 more thorough and complete change 

 in any substance, than from the 

 innoccous and nutritious barley grain 



