Mal
but truly of the ant kind, though a monftrous fvzcd one, and very venomous. The round bodied kind, by its bite, occa- sions violent pains, a fenfation of eoldnefs, and cramps all over the body ; and the long-bodied one is yet more veno- mous. Its fting occafions an immediate lividnefs of the flefh, with intolerable cramps and convulfions over the whole body ; fometimes the natural evacuations by ftool and urine arc alfo wholly flopped by it. The cure in both cafes, is to be at- tempted by cutting and cauterizing the wound, and drcfling it with Venice treacle, as alfo by giving the fame in large dofes diflolvcd in wine. Boccone, Muf. de Fif.
MALOGRANATUM, the Pomgranate, in botany. See the article PoMGRANATE.
MALPIGHIA, in botany, the name of a genus of plants de- ferred by Plumier and Linnaeus, the characters of which are thefe: The perianthiurn is fmall, hollow, and permanent, and is compofed of one leaf divided into five fegments, in the finus of each of which there is placed a melliferous glandule. The flower is compofed of five very large petals, which ftand hollow, and are of a kidney-like fhape, with long and flrait ungues. The ftamina are ten broad and erect filaments which grow into a fort of cylinder. The antherae are Ample, the germen of the pift.il is roundifti and fmall, the ftyles are three, they are erect, fliort, and crowned with obtufe ftigmata ; the fruit is a large globofe berry, having one cell, in which are contained three oblong, obtufe, and hard ftones, each of which contains an oblong and obtufe kernel, Plumier, Raf. Plant. Hift. p. 36. Lintuei Gen. Plant, p. 194.
MALPOLON, in zoology, the name of a fpecies of ferpent found in the ifland of Ceylon, and very beautifully variegated with red marks in the form of ftars. Ray's Syn. Anim.
P- 33 2 - MALT (Cycl.)— Almoft every malfter has his fecret in the mak- ing Malt, but there are fome neceflary cautions to be obfer- ved by all, which will enfure fuccefs in the work ; thefe are, 1. That the barley be newly thrafhed, or at leafl newly win- nowed. 2. That the whole be of one kind, not mixed up of ieveral forts. 3. That it be not over-fteeped in the eiftern, or fo long as to make it foft. 4. That it be well drained. 5. That it be carefully looked after in the wet couch, fo as to itop the firft tendency of the blade to fhooting. 6. To turn the wet couch infide outermoft, if the barley comes^ that is, fhoots more in the middle than on the fides. 7. To keep it duly turning after it is out of the wet couch. 8. To give it the proper heating in the dry heap. 9. To dry and crifp it thoroughly on the kiln, but without a fierce fire, fo as to be feveral days in drying a kiln of pale Malt. Shaw's lectures, p. 187.
Good Malt may be made of the grain of the maiz or Indian corn, but then a particular method muft be taken for the do- ing it. Our barley Malt-makers have tried all their flcill to make good Malt of it in the ordinary way, but to no pur- pofe ; that is, the whole grain will not this way be malted or rendered tender or floury, as in other Malt ; for it is found, by experience, that this corn, before it be fully malted, muft fprout out both ways, that is both root and blade, to a con- fiderable length, that of a finger at leaft, and if more the better. For this purpofe it muft be laid in a heap a conve- nient time; and in this procefs, if it be of a fufficient thick- nefs for coming, it will quickly heat and grow mouldy, and the tender fprouts will be fo entangled, that the leaft moving of the heap will break them oft 7 ; and the farther maturation of the grain into Malt, will be hindered by this means ; and on the other hand, if it be laid thin, and often ftirred and opened to prevent too much heating, thofe fprouts which have begun to ihoot ceafe growing, and confequently the corn again ceafes to be promoted to the mellownefs of Malt. Phil. Tranf. N° 142.
To avoid all thefe difficulties, the following method is to be ufed : Take away the top of the earth in a garden or field, two or three inches, throwing it up half one way, and half the other ; then lay the corn for Malt all over the ground fo as to cover it ; the earth that was pared off is now to be laid on again, and nothing more is to be done till the field is all over covered with the green fhoots of the plant. The earth is then to be taken off, and the roots of the grain will be found fo entangled together, that they will come up in large cakes or parcels ; it muft be gently wafhed in order to take off all the dirt, and then dried on a kiln, or on a clean floor expofed to the fun. Every grain of the maiz will be thus tranfmuted into good Malt, and the beer brewed with it will be very pleafant and very wholefome, and of an agreeable brown colour, but very clear.
It may be worth trying whether the fame procefs is not with due care applicable to the malting of turneps, potatoes, car- rots, parfneps, and the like. It might poflibly be of fervice alfo to attempt this lefs laborious way of making Malt of barley and other fmall grains; the difadvantages would be the not fo eafily feparating the dirt from the grain as in that larger kind ; and as barley requires the root only, not the ear, ?ffii 0t m ° rder t0 the makin S o f Malt, it would be fome difficulty to know the exact time of taking it up ; but with all thefe difadvantages the method is worth a trial. buPPL. Vol. II,
M A L
Malt Dijiillery. This is an extehfive article of trade, and by which very large fortunes are made. The art is to con- vert fermented Malt liquors into a clear inflammable fpirit, which may either be fold for ufe in the common ftate of a proof ftrength, that is, the fame ftrength with French brandy ; or is rectified into that purer fpirit ufttally fold under the name of fpirit of wine ; or made into compound cordial waters, by being diftilled again from herbs and other ingredients. See the articles Brewing and Wash.
To brew with Malt in the mod advantageous manner, it is neceffary, 1. That the fubject be well prepared. 2. That the water be fuitable and duly applied ; and, 3. That fome certain additions be ufed, or alterations made, according to the feafon of the year, and the intention of the operator ; and by a proper regulation in thefe refpects, all the fermen- table parts of the fubject will thus be brought into the tinc- ture, and become fit for fermentation.
The due preparation of the fubject confifts in its being juftly malted and well ground. When the grain is not fufficiently malted it is apt to prove hard, fo that the water can have but very little power to difiblve its fubftance ; and if it be too much malted, a part of the fermentable matter is loft in that operation. The harder and more flinty the Malt is, the finer it ought to be ground ; and in all cafes, when intended for diftillation, it is advifeable to reduce it to a kind of finer or coarfer meal. When the Malt is thus ground, it is found by experience, that great part of the time, trouble, and ex- pence of the brewing is faved by it, and yet as large a quan- tity of fpirit will be produced ; for thus the whole fubftance of the Malt may remain mixed among the tincture, arid be fermented and diftilled among it. This is a particular that very well deferves the attention of the Malt diftiller, as that trade is at prefent carried on ; for the difpatch of the bufinefs,- and the quantity of fpirit procured, is more attended to, than the purity or perfection of it.
The fecret of this matter depends upon the thoroughly mix- ing, or brrfkly agitating and throwing the Meal about, firft in cold, and then in hot water ; and repeating this agitation after the fermentation is over, when the thick turbid wafh being immediately committed to the ffill, 1 already hot and dewy with working, there is no danger of burning, unlefs by accident, even without the farther trouble of ftirring, which in this cafe is found needlefs, though the quantity be ever fo large, provided that requifite care and cleanlinefs be ufed : And thus the bufinefs of brewing and fermenting may very commodioufly be performed together, or reduced to one fingle operation. Shaw's EfTay on Diftrllery; Whatever water is made choice of, it muft ftand in a hot ftate upon the prepared Malt, efpecially if a clear tincture be defired, but a known and very confiderable inconvenience at- tends its being applied too hot, or too near to a ftate of boil- ing, or even fcalding with regard to the hand. To fave time in this cafe, and to prevent the Malt running into lumps and clods, the beft way is to put a certain meafured quantity of cold water to the Malt firft ; the Malt is then to be ftirred very well with this, fo as to form a fort of thin uniform parte or pudding ; after which the remaining quantity of water re- quired may be added in a ftate of boiling, without the leaft danger of making what, in the diftillers language, is called a pudden.
In this manner the due and neceflary degree of heat in the water, for the extracting all the virtues of the Malt, may be hit upon very expeditioufly, and with a great deal of exact- nefs, as the heat of boiling water is a fixed ftandard which may be let down to any degree by a proportionate mixture of cold water, due allowances being made for the feafon of the year, and for the temperature of the air. This little obvious improvement, added to the method juft above hinted for the reducing brewing and fermentation to one operation, will render it practicable to' very confiderable advantage, and the fpirit improved in quality as well as quan- tity,
A much more profitable method than that ufually practifed for the fermenting Malt for diftillation, in order to get its fpirit, is the following : Take ten pound of Malt reduced to a fine meal, and three pounds of common wheat meal : Add to thefe two gallons of cold water, and ftir them well together, then add five gallons of water boiling hot, and ftir all together again. Let the whole ftand two hours, and then ftir it again, and when grown cold, add to it two ounces of folid yealt, and fet it by loofely covered in a warmifh place to ferment. This is the Dutch method of preparing what they call the wafh for Malt fpirit, whereby they fave much trouble and procure a large quantity of fpirit. Thus commodioufly re- ducing the two bufinefles of brewing and fermenting to one fingle operation. In England the method is to draw and mafh for fpirit as they ordinarily do for beer, only inftead of boiling the wort, they pump it into large coolers, and after- wards run it into their fermenting backs, to be there fer- mented with yeaft. Thus they beftow twice as much labour as is neceflary, and lofe a large quantity of their fpirit by leaving the grofs bottoms out of the ftdl for fear of burn- ing. Shaw's Leftures, p. 716.
C Atf
