Modem Imp'ovemetits in Gorn'MUUng Machinery. 87 
new system of milling has therefore as much as anything 
rendered the development of these regions possible and profit- 
able by largely increasing the prices paid for their wheat crops. 
Here, then, are two conspicuous instances of the fact that if 
the colouring cells of the bran and the germ be excluded from 
flour, the flours made from dark red wheats may, and do, pro- 
duce bread better in colour than that obtained from the finest 
white wheats, if the constituents of the wheat are in other 
respects better — and the constituents of the wheats just men- 
tioned are better because they contain a higher proportion of 
elastic gluten than any known white wheats. As already noted, 
■ colour of bread, other things being equal, is the commercial 
test by which the value of flour is assessed. It is because 
by the " gradual-reduction " process the bran is absolutely ex- 
cluded from certain portions of the flour that these flours of 
red wheats, containing a very high proportion of gluten, exceed 
considerably in value flours made from the finest white wheats. 
The colour of wheat, therefore, no longer affords any guide or 
index of the colour of bread made from its flour. 
English white wheats no longer command the large pre- 
miums which were formerly paid for them over and above the 
prices of red wheats. The diSerence was paid, when they were 
ground under the old system, chiefly because the bran of white 
wheat discoloured bread very much less than the bran of red 
wheat. When the bran of neither is mingled with the flour, 
the difference in value to the miller of the two sorts on the 
ground of colour nearly vanishes. So with regard to English 
and other mellow red wheats. They formerly fetched nmch 
higher prices than harsh wheats, because the brans were less 
brittle, and less liable to break up and discolour the flour. Yet 
' now that the diffei'ence in value on that account no longer 
exists, for other reasons which will hereafter appear, mellow or 
tender wheats, except they be in the finest condition (which, 
unfortunately, native wheats not often are in the winter-time, 
when the bulk of them come to market), are at a discount com- 
pared with wheats of firmer texture. Reference is here more par- 
ticularly had to the physical structure, as influencing value, rather 
than to the chemical elements. And it must also be noted that 
even with the most improved machinery and systems it is not 
possible absolutely to separate all the bran from the flour. 
Some of the finest flours may be, and are, perfectly free from 
! bran contamination, but the lower grades of flour still contain 
I particles of the wheat skin. The art of milling has not attained 
anything approaching to perfect theoretical separation, even 
when applied to wheats the physical construction of which lends 
itself best to the means employed. So that, other things being 
