COLONIAL BARLEY, FROM A BREWER'S POINT OF VIEW.

Waikato Times, Volume XX, Issue 1659, 22 February 1883, Page 4

COLONIAL BARLEY, FROM A BREWER'S POINT OF VIEW.

•P,KHvMiT mo through the columns of your valuable journal to address a few words to the farmers of the barley-growing districts of New Zealand, on behalt ot > tho brewers who have to use malt made -from their barleys. _ , /.Whether " Colonial be inferior or superior to English beer is not within tho province of this paper to discuss, so ■'1 will go on to state that New Zealand brewers struggle against disadvantages unknown to their brethren at Home, the greatest of these disadvantages being tho inferior malt they have to use, it being impossible to nuke a thoroughly sound reliable malt from the bulk ot the barleys supplied them by the farmers. Nearly all samples of barley olicred to brewers here, are more or less uneven in size of grain and condition ; thus w,o find samples of Blenheim and other favourite barleys, though on the whole bright and clean looking, to contain 10 or 12 per cent, of small corns, and very often " mow-burnt" corns, these , last being evidence of heating in stafck. ' (Many barleys again are ncvei properly threshed (or dressed) while others arc so close dressed that the ends of the grain are damaged. The lesults of these defects in the barley are as follows :— (\.) The small corns never malt properly (requiring as they do more time on the malting floor than the plump, well-nourished grains), and on being thrown on the kiln become vitrified and steely, yielding but little extract to the brewer in his subsequently mashing operations, which extract is lather of a harmful than beneficial nature. (2.) The " mow-burnt" giains never malt at all, their vitality having been dcstroyedjby heating in stack, and what is worse they communicate the dieaded " smut" to the healthy giain on the " floor." Now tf dressing" entails Jiravy loss on the brewer as he buys the " tailings." as barley, and " over-dressing" favours the giowtli of mould on the Jloor, and and eveiy brewer knows that a stable beer cannot be produced from a mouldy malt. Having stated defects I will now suggest remedies. (1.) That the farmers "grade" their barleys (i. <-'„ screen tlipm to get rid of small corns), using the small grains for milling or hoise leed. (2.) That they reject when threshing any part of a stack that has heated, thus avoiding mow-bmnt grains. (Note— These giaius arc mobt frequently found in the bottom of the stack). (8.) That they thresh all barloys carefully so as neither to leave "tailings" nor cut the ends of the grain, I think I can safely state that if these suggestions were earned out, iviul carefully "giadcd" ami throbbed barleys oil'eied to the brewers, thofarmeis would obtain such an extia price as would compensate them for any trouble they might have taken in piepaiing their giain, while an inestimable benefit would bu conferred on the brewers, who would then be able to produce the beer that in quality and flavour might lival the best of the Home brands. — " A Biewer "in (Jlayo H'Uiu&s.

A boy heaving a piece to declaim at a school exhibition, in winch the line "My bonny bonny btido" frequently occured, brought down the house by reciting it every time, "My bony, bony bride." A lkttkr from Thomas Carlyle relating to his " History of Geinmn Liteiatnrc,' is published for the first time in the Cn/ir ot Octol)er 21 st. Of a number of C.irlyle's letters belonging to a gentleman living in Brooklyn, N. V., this is the only one that has not been destioycd by rats. John Buioughs discusses Kroude's estimate of Cailyle in the same number of the Cntic. Tuomvs Cmni.ws hooked )m clun over the prisoner's bar at the Fiityseventh street Police Com t, and regarded his honour with a bland smile. "Thomas, you are charged with being drnnk," said the Court. "I can't deny it," said Thomas, grinning fiom car to c\i . "You don't seem to be veiy son y."' _ 'Tin bappy, yer honour," «aid tlie prisoner, giggling. "W'liat excuse ha\e you for getting 0 drunk?" "I've got &c\en oi 'em, judge." "Seven excuses ?" "Yes yer hono", seven. Now I don't mind tellin' ye all 'bout it. Ye see, I've got bi\ boys in my family, an' las' night -it's a gill, judge." Thomas goto/I. The rage in Palis now socins to be for immoral publications. Zola is the chief favourite, the but work* of many of the novelists who llounshed in the last century arc coming out in new and expensive edition", showing that the passion for licentious litci.vture is gi owing among people who cm alibi d to pay a good price for books. A nrrr.vm' published diicctory in America, in commenting on tin- .subject, contains the statement that over 70,000 dollars, or Cl 1,000 sterling, were expended on the pioduction of one the special season numbers of the Jmhloii Onip/iu; and although the author adds, that '• America to-day stands without a peer in the delicate finish of her illustrations, <fee," it is doubtful whether any piopiietorate in any country has expended so vast a sum on the publication of one single issue ; of a number subsequent to the one bcfoie lefei ml to, over f>20,000 copies weie issued, and the number was out of pi hit in a few days. More than 100 tons of paper was consumed, mid the total cost of production was S."),000 dols., and the pages if put end to end would have made an unbiokcn line of paper leaching fiom London to New York. The whole of the illustiations being printed in many colours, and each Bhcet having to go tlnough the press separately for each colour, repiesents a total of over 13,000,000 impressions. I\ a report piescnted to the Royal Agrieultiual Society of Kngland, Miss JC. A. Ormcrod says : — "During the past quarter many serviceable returns legaidiug wireworm have been sent in from localities extending from the South of England to the Orkneys, including paits of the sea-board and islands of Scotland, and a few localities in Ireland, and the Isle of Man. These agree in showing the possibility of much lessening the amount of attack by means of ordinary agricultural measures, particularly by such as :vre calculate I to prevent cgg-layiucc, which would produce the wireworm in pastuic land ; also by clearing lews, after breaking-up, from haibouiage foi Mileworms; by eonipies&ing the soil; and also by pushing on vigorous growth of the attacked crop. Many notes have also been sent in, showing sen iceablo results from the application of rape cake, and of chemical and other manures, as salt, gas lime, alkali waste, sea-weed, &c, regarding some of which enjuincs are still being carried on, and attention drawn to the use of rooks in destroying wireworm, but that also the birds themselves often do harm by pulling up the plants. I keu) somewhere (writes a Home correspondent) that the aesthetic sunflower itself, which is erroneously said to worship the great luminary, is now in the ascendant, and that its true use and value beyond its artistic qualities are recognised so fully that several acres arc to be planted with it in the Thames valley, next year. The Chinese are devoted to it, not from any peculiarly {esthetic taste, but from a utilitarian point of view. Its seeds yield a wonderful oil, which softens the skin and makes ' excellent soap ; this oil is also edible, and burns well in lamps. Sunflower cake is better and more fatteuing for cattle than linseed, its flowers are a favourite tobacco, its stalks yield a pure fibre used in Chinese silk, and many of > ■ best yellow dies of China aro jnade from its flowers. With all these recommendations can we wonder that English agriculturists have at last followed in the ' ' wake of Oscar Wilde and his' friends, and have become*.' sunflower worshippers. Something wil}( have, to be discovered beyond hejjWnty .tp, secure favour ,for the gracefu\ , pajje-fyce^ .Jjly, \yjfch * n0 < utilitarian multitude, '''