STATISTICS OE WHEAT CULTURE. 221 



farmers and the colonists of Canada and the United States. But 

 as is well observed by Professor Lindley, it has no peculiar con- 

 stitutional characteristics by which it may be distinguished from 

 other wheats. Its superior quality is entirely owing to local con- 

 ditions ; to the peculiar temperature, the brilliant light, the soil, 

 and those other circumstances which characterise the climate of 

 South Australia. 



All kinds of wheat contain water in greater or lesser quantities. 

 Its amount is greater in cold countries than in warm. In Alsace 

 from 16 to 20 per cent. ; England from 14 to 17 per cent. ; United 

 States from 12 to 14 per cent. ; Africa and Sicily from 9 to 11 

 per cent. This accounts for the fact, -that the same weight of 

 southern fkTur yields more bread than northern, English wheat 

 yields 13 Ibs. more to the quarter than Scotch. Alabama flour, it 

 is said, yields 20 per cent, more than that of Cincinnati. And in 

 general American flour, according to one of the most extensive 

 London bakers, absorbs 8 or 10 per cent, more of its own weight 

 of water in being made into bread than the English. The English 

 grain is fuller and rounder than the American, being puffed up 

 with moisture. 



Every year the total loss in the United States from moisture in 

 wheat and flour is estimated at four to five million dollars. To 

 remedy this great evil, the grain should be well ripened before 

 harvesting, and well dried before being stored in a good dry 

 granary. Afterwards, in grinding and in transporting, it should 

 be carefully protected from wet, and the flour be kept from ex- 

 posure to the atmosphere. The best precaution is kiln-drying. 

 By this process the wheat and flour are passed over iron plates 

 heated by steam to the boiling point. From each barrel of flour 

 16 or 17 pounds of water are thus expelled, leaving still four or 

 five per cent, in the flour, an amount too small to do injury. If 

 all the water be expelled, the quality of the flour is deteriorated. 



The mode of ascertaining the amount of water in flour is this ; 

 take a small sample, say five ounces, and weigh it carefully ; put 

 it into a dry vessel, which should be heated by boiling water ; 

 after six or seven hours, weigh it ; its loss of weight shows the 

 original amount of water. 



The next object is to ascertain the amount of gluten. Grluten is 

 an adhesive, pasty mass, and consists of several different princi- 

 ples, though its constitution has not yet been satisfactorily deter- 

 mined. It is chiefly the nutritious portion of the flour. The 

 remaining principles are mostly starch, sugar and gum. On an 

 average their relative amount iii 100 parts are about as fol- 

 lows : 



Average. Kobanga wheat, the best. 

 Water . . . 13 . . .12 



Gluten . . . 12 . . .16 



Starch . . . 67 . . .60 



Sugar and Gum 8 . . .8 



100 97 



