amount of nutriment is
dissipated, chiefly in the form of carbonic acid gas. From the results
of the experience of the maltster, and of special experiments made by
scientific men, it would appear that a ton of barley will produce only
16 cwt. of malt. Allowance must, however, be made for the difference
between the amount of water contained in barley and in malt, the latter
being much drier. According to Mr. E. Holden, the centesimal loss
sustained in malting may be stated thus:--

Water 6.00
Organic matter 12.52
Saline matter 0.48
------
100.00

Dr. Thompson[35] sets down the loss of nutriment (exclusive of that
occasioned by kiln-drying), as follows:--

Carried off by the steep 1.5
Dissipated on the floor 3.0
Roots separated by cleaning 3.0
Waste 0.5
---
8.0

We may say, then, that by the malting of barley we lose at least 2-1/2
cwt. of solid nutriment out of every ton of the article, and this loss
falls heaviest on the nitrogenous, or flesh-forming constituents of
the grain. When there are added to this loss the expense of carting
the grain to and from the malt-house, and the maltster's charge for
operating upon it (I presume in this case that the feeder is not his own
maltster), it will be found that two tons of malt will cost the farmer
nearly as much as three tons of barley; and he will then have to solve
the problem--_Whether or not malt is 40 or 50 per cent. more valuable
as a feeding-stuff than barley_.

The difference in value between barley and malt is generally 14s. per
barrel; but it is sometimes more or less, according to the supply and
demand. Barley, well malted, will lose on the average 25 per cent. of
its weight, the loss depending, to some extent, upon the degree to which
the process is carried, and on the germinating properties of the barley.
Barley malted for roasters ought not to lose more than 21 per cent. of
its original weight--53 lbs. to the barrel. The heavier th