Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1851-11-12

NUTRITION IN VARIOUS GRAINS.


Wheat is one of the most important OF
our crops. The grain contains from fifty TO
seveaty per cent. OF starch, from ten to
twcaty per cent. Of gluten, and from three
10 ave PSI eeat. OF fatty matter. The pro-
portion Of gluten is said to be largest in the
gFoia OF quite warm countries. 1t is sim
gu!Gr fact, that in al the seed Of wheat and
other grams, the principal part OF the OF
dies near or in the skin, as also does large
portioa Of the gluten. The bran owes to
this much OF its nutritive and fattening
qualities. Thus in refining our -four to the
almost possible extent, we diminish some
what rs value OF food. The phoSphates of
the ASA also lie TO great degree in the skin.
The best fine -four contains above seventy
pounds of starch to each hundred The res
idue OF one hundred pounds consists of ten
or twelve pounds of gluten, six to eight
pounds Of sugar and gam, and ten to four
teen pounds of water aud little oil.
Rye flour more nearly resembles wheat
en- flour in its composition than any other !;
it has, however, more of certain gummy
and sugary substances, which make it tena-
ciouS and also impart sweetiSh taste. In
baking all graia3 and roots which have
much starch N them, certain change
takes place in their chemical composition.
, BY baking, flour becomes more nutritious,
and more easily digestible, because more
soluble.
BuleJ contains rather less starch than
wheat, also less sugar and gum. There is
little gluten, but a substance somewhat like
it, and containing about the same amount
of nitrogen.
Oatmeal is little used as food in this coun.
try; but it is equal, if not superiori in it's nu-
tritious qualities TO -four from any OF the
other grains superior, have no doubt, to
most OF the fine wheaton flour Of the nor
thern attitudes. 1t contains from ten to
eighteen per cent. of a body having about
the same amount OF nitrogen of gluten
Besides this, there is considerable quanti-
ty Of sugar and gum, and from FIVE to six
per cent of oil or fatty matter, which may
be obtained in the form of clear, fragrant
liquid. Oatmeal, then, has not only alum
dance OF substance containing nitrogen, but
IS also quite fattening. 1t is, in short, an
excellent food for working animals, and, as
has been abundantly proved in Scotland
for working-men also.
Buckwheat is less nutritious than the 9TH
er grains which we have noticed. It's -four
has from six TO ten per cent. of heterogeneous
compounds, about fifty per cent. of starch,
and from five to eight ofsugar and gum
In speaking of buckwheat or of oats, we, of
course, mean without husks.
Rice was formerly supposed to contain
ittfla r,ffro~op. kuk
have shown that there is a considerable
portion, some six or eight per cent. of a
substance like gluten. The per centage of
fatty matter and of sugar is quite small, but
that OF starch much larger than any grain
yet mentioned, being between eighty and
ninety per cent. usually about eighty-two.
Indian corn is the last that we shall no
tee. This contains about sixty per cent
of starch, nearly the same as oats. The
proportion Of oil and gum is large, about
ten per cent; this explains the fattening
properties of Indian meal, so well known to
practical men. There is, besides these, a
good portion Of sugar. The heterogeneous
substances are also considerable in quanti-
ty, some twelve to sixteen per cent. All
these sentiments are from the prize essay
OF Mr.. Ii, Salisbury, published by the
New York State Agricultural Society,"
They show that the results Of European
chemists have probably been obtained by
the examination of varieties inferior to ours;
they have not placed Indian corn much "a
boye the level of buckwheat or rice, where
as, from the aboye,it is seen to be Sin most
respects superior to any other grain"
Sweet corn differs from all other varie-
ties, containing only about eighteen per
cent. of starch. The amount of sugar is of
course, very large,and the heterogeneous sub
stance amounts to the very large proportion
oftwenty per cent; of gum, to thirteen or
fourteen and of oil, to about eleven. This,
from the above results, is one of the most
nourishing crops grown. 1t can be made
to yield as much per acre as the harder va
rieties, it is well worth trial on large
scale Professor Norton.