70 WHEAT PRODUCTION IN NEW ZEALAND 



the fact that the more water a wheat contains, the less 

 flour it will yield in the mill. Consequently, the less 

 value it has to the miller. A difference of 5 per cent, 

 of natural moisture means a difference of from Is. 6d. 

 to 2s. Od. per quarter in favour of the drier wheats. 

 This is one of the reasons why New Zealand millers 

 prefer Australian wheats, and the New Zealand farmers 

 clamour for protection. 



(c) Strength. Of vastly greater importance is the 

 third factor from the miller's point of view. We 

 may provisionally define "strength" as the capacity 

 for making bread which suits the public taste of the 

 day. The generally accepted method of determining the 

 "strength" of a sample of wheat is to mill it, and make 

 it usually into cottage loaves. The strength of the wheat 

 is then determined from their size, shape, condition, and 

 general appearance. A "strong" wheat makes a large 

 well risen loaf of uniformly porous texture. The 

 principle of greatest importance is the capacity of the 

 bread to absorb water, that is, the production of a porous 

 loaf is the most desirable end. 



(d) Importance of Gluten Content. The degree to 

 which this end is attained is dependent on the amount 

 and character of the gluten of the flour produced from 

 the special variety of wheat. The technical processes of 

 baking do not concern us here, but in order to compre- 

 hend the importance of gluten a passing comment on the 

 technicalities of baking will not be inappropriate. 



' ' In making bread flour is mixed with water and yeast. 

 The yeast feeds on the small quantity of sugar contained 

 in the flour, fermenting it, and forming from it, alcohol 

 and carbon dioxide gas. The gluten being coherent and 

 tough is blown into numberless small bubbles by the gas 

 which is thus retained inside the bread. On baking, the 

 high temperature of the oven fixes these bubbles by 

 drying and hardening their walls, and the bread is thus 



