128 TIME FOR CUTTING GRAIN. 



tation produced by yeast, the gluten stretches as it 

 expands, and thus leaves the baked bread light and 

 full of little holes. Flour which contains much gluten, 

 is that which is ordinarily called strong. 



The time of cutting grain very sensibly affects the 

 proportion of fine flour and bran yielded by samples 

 of it. Careful experiments have shown, with regard to 

 wheat, that when cut from 10 to 14 days before it is 

 fully ripe, the grain not only weighs heavier, but 

 measures more : it is positively better in quality, pro 

 ducing a larger proportion of fine flour to the bushel. 

 When the grain is in the milk, there is but little woody 

 fibre; nearly every thing is starch, gluten, sugar, etc., 

 with a large percentage of water. If cut 10 or 12 

 days before full ripeness, the proportion of woody 

 fibre is still small; but as the grain ripens, the thick 

 ness of skin rapidly increases, woody fibre being formed 

 at the expense of the starch and sugar; these must 

 obviously diminish in a corresponding degree, the 

 quality of the grain being of course injured. The 

 same thing is true as to all of the other grains. 



It has been stated that what is ordinarily called dry 

 flour, contains from 12 to 16 per cent of water. When 

 made into bread and baked, it retains this, and absorbs 

 in addition a much larger quantity. Prof. Johnston 

 gives, as the result of some trials made in his labora 

 tory on bread one day old, the large proportion of 45 

 Ibs. of water in 100 Ibs. of bread. Dumas found 45 

 per cent in bread at Paris. This is much more than 

 is usually supposed possible, yet there is every reason 

 to consider the above determination correct. We may 

 then conclude that every 100 Ibs. of bread, in the or 

 dinary state as we use it, contains from 30 to 45 Ibs. 

 of water. Strong flour, that which was mentioned as 

 containing much gluten, and rising well in bread, will 

 absorb and retain a still larger amount of water: it is 

 therefore most profitable to the baker. 



