6 
BULLETIN 1129, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Table 9. — Comparison of temperature, time of steeping, and time of germination of 
grain sorghums. 
Malt. 
Time of 
steeping. 
Time of 
germina- 
tion. 
Average 
daily 
tempera- 
ture 
during 
germina- 
tion. 
Kafir 
Hours. 
30 
30 
22 
Days. 
14 
8 
10 
°C. 
17 
Milo 
20 
20 
The difference in the time of steeping shown in Table 9 is due to 
the capacity of the various grains to absorb water, this capacity 
being governed principally by the hardness and compactness of the 
grain. The interior starchy portion of the kafir and milo kernels is 
harder and more glassy than that of the feterita, and consequently 
requires a longer time for the complete absorption of water. The 
time of germination varies in each case, but is governed to a large 
extent by the temperature. The grain required a shorter time for 
germination in cases where the temperature was higher. 
DIASTATIC POWER OF MALTED GRAIN SORGHUMS. 
After the malting was completed the finished malt was analyzed 
by the following methods : 
Preparation of sample. — After the malt had been thoroughly mixed 
and a uniform sample taken, it was ground to pass a 20-mesh sieve. 
Moisture. — Two grams of the ground malt was accurately weighed 
in a covered weighing dish and dried at 60° C. in a vacuum to con- 
stant weight. 
Diastatic power (3) . — Twenty-five grams of ground malt was 
extracted with 500 cubic centimeters of distilled water (free from 
ammonia, nitrates, etc.) for 3 hours at 21° C. and filtered. The first 
100 cubic centimeters of the filtrate was rejected. Then 100 cubic 
centimeters of a 2 per cent starch solution (soluble starch prepared 
according to Lintner) was treated with 1 cubic centimeter of the 
malt extract of diastase solution for 1 hour at 21° C, 50 cubic centi- 
meters of Fehling solution was added, and the whole was heated 
rapidly to 98° C. It was next placed in a boiling water bath for seven 
minutes, and, without being diluted, the cuprous oxid was filtered 
immediately, dried, and weighed. The weight of cuprous oxid was 
Cu 
calculated to copper by the following factor: p ^ = 0.8882. The 
weight of copper found minus the weight of copper reduced by 100 
cubic centimeters of the 2 per cent starch solution (determined by a 
blank on this amount carried through the regular procedure) was 
divided by 0.441 (gram of copper in 50 cubic centimeters of Fehling 
solution), and this result, multiplied by 100, gave the Lintner value. 
