NEW ZEALAND BARLEY.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVII, Issue 3125, 16 February 1871, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND BARLEY.

The " Otago Daily Times, " in an article describing the malting- works attached to the brewery of Messrs Marshall nnd Ccpeland, of Dunedin, has the following . — The chief fault of the provincial grown barley is, we are informed, that the farmers do not ripen it sufficiently, and that, as all unripe grain produces, when malted, acetic acid instead of sugar, it is worse than useless to the malster. More attention should also be paid to the quality of the seed. Each kind of seed barley should be sown separately from any other kind ; since, as one kind comes to perfection before another, that portion which is unripe is unfit for malting. English malsters and brewers are so particular in making certain that the grain which they purchase is properly matured, that they send their agents to see that nil which is cut is properly ripe, as it often happened that part of the crop in the same field is ripe, while, owing to situation or soil, it hasnot ripened in another part. The agents mark with poles any part of the field in which the grain is not perfectly ripe, and do not allow it to be cut until it is so. Farmers here, as a rule, not having the proper experience, cut the grain whether it is ripe or unripe ; whereas for malting purposes it should be fully ripened and stacked for from two to three months before being thrashed. Last year farmers in this province cut their barley crops before they were ripened. Others, again, neglected to hood their stocks properly, in order to effectually preserve the grain from ruin. A considerable portion of the crop was in this way destroyed. Others, again thrashed out their grain ' at once, bagged it, and sent it to market without stacking it. Some parcels of this barley filled, soon after storage, \ with vermin, and of course soon became unsaleable, or was sold afc a low figure, payub!e to neither seller norbujer. 'Even when stored on the driest and best aired floor, it would, in this state, soon fill with vermin. These would not have come into the grain had it been brought to maturity and stacked for the proper time ; as a fermentation would have set in which would have destroyed the germs of the insects, preventing insects from appearing in it. We are also told that machines for freeing the barley from smut and refuse, are much needed here now. The Canterbury barley is of very light description, and rather deficient in strength, compared to what the Otago bailey would be if properly saved, but produces a wort sounder than the generality of the last year's Otago samples did. The Canterbury farmers have had more experience in the growing of barley, but tha soil and climate of their province are for that purpose, in the raising of heavy crops, not equal to Otago. If the Otngo barley were properly grown, cleaned, and saved, it would far surpass the Canterbury barley, this province in general being highly adapted for growing this ciop, the excellence of which is a matter that rests entirely with th<j farmers. There are many light soils which will grow nothing else but barley, and that of the best quality, though, possibly, as heavy a crop could not be raised as on other soils. In 1870, according tc the General Government statistics, 88,540 acres were under barley in all New Zealand, whereas the number of acres taken up in growing barley for Biiss and Com- | pany's establishment at Burton-on-Tront,

was 42,900; so that assuming New Zealand barley to beequal in quality to home barley, which it has not yet arrived at, and the land in eaoh country to bear as heavy a crop, all the barley grown in New Zealand would supply that establishment for about seven months only, brewing operations in England being suspended for about two months during the heat of summer. If freight and other expenses were equal, and good barley locally grown, Otago brewers could compete with English brewers in the Indian markets. Barley could also form a large export to Australia, where the heat prevents it from arriving at the same degree of perfection for malting purposes as it does here, and also prevented a first-class article from being brewed. In consequence of this, Victorian beer is principally made fit for ready sale, and not for keeping, and consequently cannot be exported ia quality equal to the New Zealand beer. If the New Zealand brew were allowed to enter the Australian ports duty free, and Australian native wines allowed to enter here upon the same terms, it would be to the mutual benefit of both countries, and would be an encouragement to industries which as yet are merely in embryo.