338 Canadian Record of Science. 



flour are placed upon the market, known as strong bakers', 

 patent and low grade. The proportion of each depends 

 upon the wheat that is used, and the particular market for 

 which each grade is intended, and is varied at the dis- 

 cretion of the miller. An average percentage is about as 

 follows: — 32 p.c. patent, 4 p.c. low grade, and 64 p.c. 

 bakers'. 



The strong bakers' is richest in gluten, and somewhat dark 

 in color owing to branny particles. A sample manufac- 

 tured in this city gave 12.40 p.c. dry gluten. This grade 

 is ordinarily used in making what is known among the 

 bakers as the "brown" loaf. The large percentage of 

 gluten enables the baker to produce with strong flour a 

 large loaf which may be baked without pans. 



Patent is a whiter flour, on account of fewer branny par- 

 ticles, and coming to a greater extent from inner part of 

 grain has a lower percentage of gluten. A sample made at 

 same time with sample strong just mentioned, yielded 

 9.20 p.c. dry gluten, whilst the low grade of the same mill- 

 ing showed only 6.30 p.c. dry gluten. The "patent" is 

 the flour for family use, and the higher grades are used by 

 bakers in the manufacture of white bread, loaves made in 

 pans. Since this patent has not the high percentage of 

 gluten found in strong loaves large and baked without pans 

 cannot be so readily obtained from it. 



Thus far I have spoken only of one cause of the strength 

 of a flour, viz., the percentage of gluten, and so far as bakers', 

 patent and low grade from the same wheat are concerned, the 

 quantity of gluten is a measure of the strength of the flour. 

 But if a comparison is to be instituted between two samples 

 of bakers' or of patent, or if it be necessary to determine 

 the suitability of any flour for bakers' use, one must know 

 not only the quantity of gluten the sample will yield, the 

 quality of the gluten must be taken into consideration. In 

 some flours the gluten is very firm and elastic, in others it 

 is soft and sticky. In the latter case, a well risen loaf can- 

 not be obtained, as the gas disengaged in fermentation is 

 released by the soft gluten, whereas in the elastic gluten, a 

 firm, porous mass is formed. The best test of quality of 



