REPORT OF THE CHEMIST. 



Ill 



The Eastern flour is poorer in nitrogen and gluten than any of the 

 others. In fact the Hours follow closely the composition of the wheat 

 which has been examined from the same parts of the country. Dakota 

 makes a flour richer than any other in gluten in the same way that it 

 produces a wheat of that description. The sample from Pembina, like 

 the wheat from that locality, is lower than any other spring-wheat 

 flour. The average of these u Northwestern spring-wheat flours" is high, 

 and in comparison with the rest of the country they are the richest 

 which have been analyzed. They compare favorably with Hungarian 

 roll fluur, which they closely resemble. 



Average composition of flours. 



Constituents. 



Eighteen 

 for baking 

 experi- 

 ments. 



Forty-nine 

 tiours, U. 

 S. Census.' 



Eight 

 Eastern 

 flours. 



Minnesota 

 and Dakota 

 flours. 





Per cent. 

 12. 35 



Per cen t. 

 11. 5G 

 .59 

 11. DO 



Per cent. 

 12. 49 

 .55 

 10.41 



Per cent. 



8. 96 

 .44 

 12. 82 







11. 03 





Another peculiarity of the spring-wheat flours is their dryness. It 

 will be seen in the averages that they contain several per cent, less 

 moisture than the Eastern specimens. From the results of the experi- 

 ments on the relations of such material to atmospheric conditions it is 

 plain that they would gain weight on transportation east or to the coast, 

 and other things being equal, a barrel of dry Western flour would make 

 more bread than a barrel of Eastern. This is certainly an important 

 factor in the consideration of the value of flours. In specimens Kos. 

 2057 and 2121 the absorption had, to a large extent, taken place, while 

 the others, being tightly boxed, were received without any absorption. 

 How readily this would have taken place had an opportunity occurred, 

 will be seen in the analyses of the flours used for baking. 



In the light of the preceding analyses there seems to be no reason to 

 doubt but that the introduction of the roller-milling process and the 

 growth of the hard wheats of the Northwest has furnished the country 

 with a liner flour than it has before possessed, and one which should 

 make a bread comparing favorably with Hungarian manufacture. In 

 fact in the baking experiments the bread made from these flours ex- 

 celled all others in quality. 



