W H E 



It is ftated by the writer of the work on Agricultural 

 Ghemiftry, that in this country the difficulty of grinding 

 thin-flcinned wheat is in fome meafure an objeftion ; but that 

 this difficulty is eafily overcome by moiltening the corn. 

 And on the authority of John Jeffery, efq., the conful- 

 general at Lifton, the following obfervations on the fubjeft 

 are given, as tranfmitted by fir Jofeph Banks. In order to 

 grind hard corn of this fort with the mill-ftones ufed m this 

 country, the wheat muft be well fcreened, then fpnnkled 

 OTth water at the miller's difcretion, and laid in heaps, being 

 frequently turned and thoroughly mixed together, which 

 will foften the hu(k fo as to make it feparate from the flour 

 in grinding, and, of courfe, give the flour a brighter colour ; 

 otherwife the flinty quality of the wheat, and the thinnefs of 

 the flrin, will prevent its feparation, and will render the flour 

 wnfit for making into bread. 



The writer has been informed by a miller of conliderable 

 experience, and who works his mills entirely with the fl;ones 

 from this country or Ireland, that he frequently prepares 

 the hard Barbary corn of this kind by immerGng it in water 

 in clofe wicker badcets, and then fpreading it thinly on a 

 floor to dry ; much depends on the judgment and iklll of 

 the miller in preparing the corn for the mill according to its 

 relative quality. It is obferved, however, that it is not 

 from this previous procefs of wetting the corn that the 

 weight in the flour of hard corn is increafed ; but from its 

 natural quality it imbibes confider.i)ly more water in making 

 it into bread. The mill-ftones muft not be cut too deep, 

 but the furrows very fine, and picked in the ufual way. 



The mills fliould work with lefs velocity in grinding hard 

 corn than with foft, and be fet to work at firft with foft corn, 

 until the mill ceafes to work well ; then put on the hard 

 corn. Hard wheat always fells at a higher price in the 

 market than foft wheat, on an average of from ten to fifteen 

 per cent. ; as it produces more flour in proportion, and lefs 

 bran than the foft corn. 



Flour made from hard wheat is more efteemed than what 

 is made from foft corn ; and both forts are applied to every 

 purpofe. 



The flour of hard wheat is in general fuperior to that 

 made from foft ; and there is no difference in the procefs of 

 making them into bread : but the flour from hard wheat 

 will imbibe and retain more water in making into bread, 

 and will confequently produce more weight of bread. It 

 is the pradlice in Lilbon, and which it is thought would be 

 advifeable to adopt in this country, to make bread with 

 flour of hard and foft wheat, which, by being mixed, wiU 

 make the bread much better. As the moft flinty wheats 

 are capable of being readily and eafily ground by thefe 

 means, much advantage may arife from the mixing of 

 the flour of the thin-fliinned wheats with thofe of the 

 thicker-fkinned kinds in the forming of bread, as well as 

 in preventing the objeftions to the cultivation and growth 

 of the former, on account of their fteely quality, and grind- 

 ing hard and with inconvenience. By thele means many of 

 the well-harvefted and well-kept wheats of this country will 

 be found to be equal to thofe of any other, for moft pur- 

 pofes to which the flour is ufually put. See SpRiNG-^ifa/, 

 and Wheat. Alfo Vegetables. 



Iji the Middlefex CorreAed Report on Agriculture, it is 

 ftated, that the beft flour is moftly ufed by the paftry-cooks, 

 and the makers of fine bifcuits, and the inferior forts in the 

 making of bread. That thefe have often the worfe kinds 

 of damaged foreign wheats, and other materials, mixed with 

 them in grinding them into flour. And that, if the bread 

 confumed in the metropolis was prepared from the wheat of 

 this country, unmixed with the leaner produce of other 

 nations, the trial detailed below would fhew with accuracy 



W H E 



the quantity of bread that could be made from a Win- 

 chefter buftiel of that grain. 



One bufhel of the wheat of this country, which weighed 

 fixty-one pounds, was taken. It was then ground, and the 

 meal weighed 6of lbs. ; which, on being dreffed, produced 

 46^ lbs. of flour, of the fort called feconds, which alone is 

 ufed for the making of bread throughout the greater part 

 of this country ; and of pollard and bran I2f lbs., which 

 quantity was bolted, and it produced in ftiarps 3 lbs., which 

 being fifted produced in good fecond flour i\Vb. 



The whole quantity of bread-flour obtained from the 1 

 bufliel of wheat, weighed - - - - j 



lbs. 

 Fine pollard .... 4^ 



Coarfe pollard .... 4 

 Bran ----- 2^ 



The whole together 

 To which add the lofs of weight in manufafturingl 



the bufhel of wheat 



Produces the original weight 



48 



1 1 



59 



61 



The fack of fftarketable flour is by law obhged to 

 weigh 240 lbs., which is exaftly the produce of five buftiels 

 of fuch wheat ; and the fack of flour is conftantly fup- 

 pofed to make eighty quartern loaves of bread ; and 

 confequently fixteen of fuch loaves are made from each 

 buftiel of fuch wheat. It is admitted, however, that two or 

 three loaves more than the above quantity can be made 

 from the fack of flour, when it is the genuine produce 

 of good wheat ; that is, in the proportion of about fix- 

 teen and a half loaves from each buftiel of found grain, 

 and, it may be prefumed, fixteen from a buftiel of medium 

 corn. The expence of making the fack of flour into bread, 

 and difpofing of it, is about 8j. 



Wheat, Indian. See Maize. 



Wheat, Mildew in. See Mildew. 



Wheat, Mujl of, is, according to the ingenious Mr.] 

 Hatchett, a taint produced by damp upon the aylaceousi 

 part of the grain, or ftarch ; and he conceives, that this 

 taint is, in moft cafes, fuperficial. He propofes the follow- 

 ing as a fuccefsful method of removing it. 



The wheat muft be put into a veflel capable of holding atl 

 leaft three times the quantity, and the veffel filled with boiling! 

 water ; and the grain ftiould then be occafionally ftirred, and! 

 the hollow decayed grains, which float, may be removed. 

 When the water has become cold, or in about half an hour, it 

 is drawn off. Then rince the corn with cold water, andl 

 having completely drained it, fpread it thinly on the floor! 

 of a kiln, and thus thoroughly dry it, ftirring and turningl 

 it frequently during this part of the procefs. Phil. Tranf.f 

 for 1817, part i. 



Wheat Ricijland. See Staddle, and Stand. 



Wheat, Root-fallen or Welten, that fort of wheat-crop inl 

 which the roots are thrown out of the ground by its light-1 

 nefs or porofity, as caufed by frofts or other means. Seel 

 Wheat, and WELT-i?oo^ 



Wheat, Riijlin. See Rust. 



WHEAT-i'ff^, Liming of, the praftice of drying nioift- 

 ened corn of this fort by means of powdery lime. It is the 

 cuftom in fome places to make it wet over-night, with fait or 

 other water, and to duft it over with the lime the next 

 morning before it is fown, mixing it well together in the 

 operation. By the lime, however, thus remaining fo ftiort a 

 time on the grain before fowing, it has no time to penetrate 



into 



