222 RESOURCES OF CALIFORNIA. 



Odessa or Old Californian, Red Mediterranean, Sonora, Ore- 

 gon White, Bald, and Egyptian. The general division of 

 wheat into " winter " and " spring," common in the wheat- 

 growing districts of the Eastern States, is unknown. All our 

 wheat may be set down as spring wheat. When winter 

 wheat is brought here from abroad, it does not thrive the first 

 year ; but in the second year, having been converted into 

 spring wheat and acclimated, it yields well. The Chile gives 

 general satisfaction, and is more cultivated than any of the 

 others. The Australian has a tendency to smut, but this is 

 corrected with blue vitriol. These two form three-fourths of 

 the crop ; the other fourth is made up chiefly of Mediterran- 

 ean and Sonora. The Egyptian yields largely, but has little 

 gluten, and is fit only for coarse bread or maccaroni. All 

 the acclimated wheat of the State is white; though im- 

 ported red seed shows its color the first year, but in the sec- 

 ond year it looses its redness. 



159. Quality. The qualities in which the best wheat 

 excels are glutinousness or strength, flintiness or dryness, 

 whiteness of color, thinness of skin, cleanness, plumpness and 

 size of berry, and weight. 



The value of wheat depends, to a great extent, upon its 

 strength. In this point lies its chief difference from potatoes, 

 which always do and must occupy an inferior place upon our 

 tables. Much gluten in flour renders the dough tough, 

 makes handsome bread, with the air bubbles in it small and 

 uniform in size, and retains moisture, so that the bread will 

 weigh much in proportion to the flour used; while if the 

 amount of gluten be small, the grain of the bread will be 

 uneven, the dough will give way in places, allowing the for- 

 mation of large cavities, and less moisture will be retained. 

 The wheat of different countries varies greatly in glutinous- 

 ness ; and California occupies a very high position. Our wheat 

 is far more glutinous than that of any other North American 

 State, or country of middle or northern Europe. The conse- 



