Imp-roving the Quality of Grain and Flour. 



ration. It ought to be moderately kiln-dried, with a slow 

 heat, and frequently turned. But if the grain be musty, it 

 ought to pass through a previous process, which is thus de- 

 scribed by an eminent chemist. 



The wheat must be put into any convenient vessel, ca- 

 pable of containing at least three times the quantity, and 

 the vessel must be subsequently filled with boiling water ; 

 the grain should then be occasionally stirred, and the hol- 

 low and decayed grains, (which will float), may be re- 

 moved ; when the water has become cold, or, in general, 

 when about half an hour has elapsed, it is to be drawn off. 

 It will be proper then to rinse the corn with cold water, in 

 order to remove any portion of the water which had taken 

 up the must; after which, the corn being completely drain- 

 ed, it is, without loss of time, to be thinly spread on the 

 floor of a kiln, and thoroughly dried, care being taken to 

 stir, and to turn it frequently, during this part of the pro- 

 cess ( ac>8 ). 



By this operation, corn, however musty, may be com- 

 pletely purified, with very little expense, and without re- 

 quiring previous chemical knowledge, or any expensive ap- 

 paratus. Mere ventilation, however, has been recommend- 

 ed, as a means of preparing grain for use, sufficiently effec- 

 tual. 



When grain is infected by smut, it can be thoroughly 

 cleaned, however black it may be, in the course of three 

 washings, in a wooden tub, resembling a mill for washing 

 potatoes ( a 9 ). The wheat must afterwards be kiln-dried. 



It is generally supposed, that if wheat be much injured 

 during a bad harvest, the flour made from it, will not fer- 

 ment, or bake into loaf-bread, and that it is only fit for dis- 

 tillation, or to be eaten by live stock. But with the aid of 

 soda, the flour may be much improved ; and, at any rate, 

 may be made into cakes ( ZI ), or biscuit, and consumed with 

 safety and advantage. In France, they recommend, in such 

 cases, that the water used in making the bread, should not 

 be so hot as usual ; that the dough should be made firmer, 

 and with a greater quantity of salt ; that the bread should 

 be made into smaller loaves ; that the oven should be more 

 heated; and the loaves kept longer in it. The more the 

 bread is baked, there is the less danger in using it, and it 

 should, if possible, not be consumed, till two or three days 

 after it has been-baked ( Z!I ). 



