320 THE WHEAT INDUSTRY 



walls and floor are thoroughly heated. The coals 

 and ashes are then removed and the floor is care- 

 fully wiped. This done, the loaves are placed 

 inside and the openings are sealed. The bread is 

 thus baked by the heat stored in the walls and 

 floor of the oven. The loaves are large, some- 

 times six feet long, eighteen inches wide, and 

 twelve inches high. 



The ovens and loaves just described are common, 

 although the smaller, more familiar, sizes are also 

 found. 



The transportation facilities are good. Devel- 

 opment, however, of roads, canals, and railroads 

 has been along lines of getting wheat to the people ; 

 that is, for import rather than for export purposes. 

 The great import centers are Genoa, Rome, 

 Naples, and Venice. As has been previously 

 stated, Italy imports considerable quantities of 

 wheat which serves as the raw material for the 

 manufacture of macaroni. This is then exported 

 as a finished article of commerce. 



The Wheat Region of Spain. - The Iberian 

 peninsula has a climate of extremes. The fringe 

 of mountains around the coast condenses the 

 moisture borne by the winds from the sea and 

 .gives the coastal provinces, especially in the north 

 and west, an abundant rainfall, often more than 

 60 inches per year. The interior on the contrary 

 is quite dry. The average annual rainfall of the 



