The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1879-01-02
TOPICS FOR FARMERS.
Cost Of Bread from Corn and Wheat

Cost or Bread from Torn anu Wn6ats
Conrad Wilson writes in the American
CuHiuator that the samples of wheat
bread and corn bread submitted by Mrs
Wilson to the Farmers Club were pre-
pared for the purpose of illustrating the
economical value Of this form of food
and to show the capacity of these cere
ais for the production of bread. Let Us
now glance at some of the figures:
When good sound corn is properly
prepared and made into bread by the
latest and best methods, it is found taat
the gain in weight of the bread above the
meal from which it is made is over one
hundred per cent. In other werds, a
pound of corn bread is the product of
less than half a pound of corr meal, and
consequently a bushel of corn, weighing
sixty pounds and taken at fifty pounds
net over the toll, would yield one hun
dred pounds of bread. But when wheat
-four is blended with the meal (which
is very usually, the ratio of bread to
grain is slightly diminished.
Assuming the cost of corr to be thirty
cents on a general average, this would
bring the cost of the bread, in the case
of the inferior sample, to one-third of a
cent a pound for the meal, making a
total of about one cent when the other
ingredients are included; while for the
other sample, with its additional in
gradients, the total cost would be about
two cents.
In a bushel of wheat weighing sixty
| pounds it is usually assumed that the
net weight of -four, after allowing for
the bran shorts and toll, is not less than
forty pounds. But when -four is con.
verted into bread, the gain of weight
ranges from fifty to seventy per cent
At this rate of increase the quantity Of
bread from a bushel of wheat would be
from sixty to s~ixty-eight pounds ovel
and above the bran and the toll fol
grinding. According to the actual gaiI
in the sample of Mrs. Wilson, a bushe
of wheat would yield sixty pounds o
bread.
This gain of weight is, of course
mainly due to the absorption of waite
by the -four, and is, therefore, no posi-
tive addition TO the amount of nutri
ment. Yet it is found in practice tina
the greater the absorption, the better, q
a general rule, is the quality of tn
bread.
Assuming the cost of wheat to b
seventy-fve cents a bushel, on a genera
average, this would make the cost of th
bread less than one and one-half cent
per pound, which is more than the co:
of the inferior grade of corn bread, bu
less than the cost of the better quality
Ii now we assume the yield per acI
to be for corn seventy bushels, and fo
wheat thirty bushels (both of which
claim to be entirely possible for averag
farmers), we then have the folowin
food results: For corn, seven thousan
pounds of bread per acre at a cost, fl
the lower grade, of seventy dollars, an
for the better quality of nearly doub
that amount. For wheat about tw
thousand pounds of bread at a cost
thirty dollars.
Now if we assume that a farmer
family numbers five persons of variol
3 ages equivalent on an average to fol
adults), and allow two pounds of bres
per day to each as equivalent to the
support, then at the yield above me
toned an acre of corr would sustain Il
E family for over eight hundred day
, and an acre of wheat for two hundrt
f and fifty days. In other words, half
acre of corn, or one and one-half acr
of wheat. would maintain the family f
one year. There are possibly son
doubling farmers, who will shake the
heads at these conclusions, and hesita
to accept them. Yet 1 am prepared
show that the figures here given are
n reality below the truth, and that the
v cereals are capable of better results tn
J I have indicated.