No. 133.] 37 



no small degree of interest. This is a most valuable invention, 

 and will work an important relbrm in domestic economy. Bread 

 made from this patent flour was exhibited at the Fair, and found 

 to be a very excellent article. Samples of the flour were handed 

 to old and experienced housewives, who all bore testimony to its 

 excellence. The most -distinguished chemists and physicians in 

 this country and in England, have analysed it and tested its qua- 

 lities, and not only stated tliat it makes a light, sweet, and easily 

 digested bread, but have also pronounced it free from any delete- 

 rious substance. The common method of fermenting bread by 

 the use of yeast is open to many objections, and something has 

 long been sought fur that would supercede it. This something, 

 it is believed, has at length been found in the " Patent Bread- 

 rai<;iug Compound." Tlie Messrs. Hecker have put up an appa- 

 ratus, in connection with the patentee, bv which this compound 

 is thoroughly and perfectly mixed with flour in an incredibly 

 short time. 



In this age of steam, these gentlemen may certainly be put down 

 as fast men. When the compound is thus mixed with the flour, 

 we have the "Patent Self-raising Flour,'' which, with the addi- 

 tion of cold water, enables us to have a light, sweet and whole- 

 some article of bread within an hour from the time it was mixed. 

 Some ten or twelves hours are required with the use of yeast, to 

 make bicad, which frequently proves heavy and sour ; and in ad- 

 dition to this, there is the lobS by fermentation of nearly all the 

 ' saccharine qualities of the wheat. Some experiments have been 

 made on this subject, and it is found that by the fermentative or 

 old process, a barrel of flour yields, on an average, about 268^ 

 pounds of bread ; while the new process yields about 300 pounds. 



Taking the population of the United States at 25,000,000, and 

 allowing three quarters of a pound of flour per head, as the daily 

 average consumption, (equal to- 34,948,980 barrels per annum,) 

 we have, by the patent process, a saving of 3,669,642 j\ barrels 

 annually in the consumption of breadstuffs in the United Slates 

 alone, or a little over 10^ per cent, in favor of the Patent Self- 

 raising Flour. Here is an immense saving ; and he must be re- 

 garded as a benefactor of mankind who enables us to get such an 



