The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-02-10
A Grain of Wheat.

Although We daily partake Of the man
ufacture of this staff of life, how few have
ever thought of the marvellous complexity
of single grain! An expert in the
american Miller gives the following de-
scription of it, which doubtless will be read
with interest by every inquiring mind
Through the centre of the kernel runs
groove, SO that horizontal section is
heart-shaped. Under glass we see that it
is very composite in structure. The out
side layer or cuticle, which forms the
bran, is composed mainly of silex, the
mineral base of sand, which by means of
the potash in the soil is made soluble, and
is carried by the little veins of the wheat
plant and deposited with the woody tissue.
The nutriment in this triple coat is not di-
gestible by the human stomach, but is ex-
cellent for cattle The layer next inside
this is styled gluten. This is a complex
substance and in the highest degree nu-
tritious, especially to the muscular tissues
of man. Gluten pure is composed mainly
of protein, which is the basis of the nitro
genous compounds albumen, fibrin and
casein, with a slight addition of sulphur.
On this layer depends largely the nutritive
value of wheat. When -four stands for
some time after grinding some of the
gluten changes its form to albumen, and
thus improves its bread-making quality, so
that the baker considers -four month old
better than that fresh ground, The sub
stance is not strictly limited to this layer
of the grain, but is found both in the bran
and distributed through the starch.
Within this gluten layer lies the starch,
constituting the mass of the kernel. The
starch consists of minute granules about
.OO2 of an inch in diameter The nuclei
around which cluster these tiny granules
some think are gluten. This is certainly
true of oats On the mingling of the glu-
ten with the starch depends the value of
wheat for making bread. For, besides the
protein, crude gluten contains sugar, gum
and soluble albumen The decomposition
of sugar in fermentation produces carbonic
acid, which becomes entangled in the te-
nacious gluten, expands in the heat of
baking, and renders the loaf light and
spongy.
In the centre of the kernel, when the
outer layer turns into the body and doubles
around, forming an inner heart-shaped sec
ton, lie the phosphates of soda, lime and
magnesia, which are the bone and brain
making elements of wheat. In the crease,
near the large end of the kernel, lies the
germ, which, though rich in gluten, con-
tains oily and dark matter that Injuries the
color and quality of the -four, and should
be removed. Over the germ is thin,
scale-like pellicle, easily removed with the
thumb nail, revealing the little germ-con-
tanning cell beneath, The germ, by slight
pressure, may be removed, leaving the cell,
which, however, is coated with oily mat
ter, which should also be kept out of the
-four.
At the other end of the kernel is sort
of fine brush appendage formed of numer-
Gus downy flaments of slight salmon
tint. These are useful to the seed in the
ground as absorbents of moisture, but in
the -four impair both its color and flavor,
and should be eliminated, This brush end
and the crease, with the wrinkled surface
of the grain, are grand dust and dirt
catchers, and large amount of the ma
chinery of our modern mills is for the sole
purpose of cleaning the grain from dirt,
and freeing it of the bran, germ, brush and
oily matter, which Injuries its capacity for
making white, spongy and nutritious
bread