er put on. This
precaution is essentially necessary, in order to make clean bright
malt, and should never be omitted. It is further right, at each
watering, to skim off the surface of the water the light grain, chaff,
and seed weeds, that are found floating on it; all this kind of trash,
when suffered to remain in the steep, is a real injury to the malt, and
considerably depreciates its value when offered for sale, and not less
so when brewed. The depth of water over the barley in the steep need
not exceed two or three inches, but should not be less. When the barley
has remained in steep the necessary time, the water is let off by a
plug hole at the bottom of the steep, with a strainer on the inside of
the hole; when the barley is thus sufficiently strained, it should be
let down by a plug hole in the bottom of the steep into the couch frame
on the lower floor, (or adjoining to it, which would be the better
construction,) which is no more than a square or oblong inclosure of
inch and a half boards ledged together, and about two feet deep, of
sufficient capacity to hold the contents of the steep, and so placed,
in upright grooves, as to ship and unship in this frame. The steeped
barley is to remain for twenty-four hours in the frame, when it should
be broke out, and carefully turned from the bottom to the top, nearly
of the same thickness it was in the frame, not less than sixteen or
eighteen inches, where it should be suffered to remain twenty-four
hours longer, or until the germination begins to appear: but this will
be always shorter or longer, according to the temperature of the
season, and is generally ascertained by sinking your hand towards the
middle of the heap, and bringing up a handful of the grain, which, if
regularly germinated, will make its appearance in every grain of
barley, by appearing white at one end; at this stage of the process,
(supposing the temperature of your malt house sixty degrees,) the heap
should be extended on the floor, to the thickness of eight inches;
after which it should be turned three or four times a day, according to
the season, and the progress of vegetation; gradually reducing the
thickness of the couch to four or five inches; but it should be
remarked, that as soon as the root begins to dry and wither, the
watering pot is to be used; the judicious management of which is one of
the most important parts of the process of malting, and should be paid
particular attention to. One wat