The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-11-24
American Flour Abroad.

Washington, Nov. 8-The Asiatic mar
ket for American wheat was brought prom
inently before the public in the recent
tariff debate. The original Dingley duties
on japanese mattings and certain other
Asiatic products were materially reduced
when it was shown by James j. H.h. pres
;dent OF the Great Northern railroad, that
Their imposition would close up the mar
kets for our wheat in the countries con-
cerned. In view of the important part
which this argument played in the subse-
quent discussion, recent consular reports
concerning American wheat in the Orient
become Of especial interest 1t seems that
wheat itself does not find a very ready
market either in Japan or China, for the
reason that i costs too much for transpor-
taton 10 those countries, but -four made
from American wheat is rapidly gaining
in favor, and the future market for 1t viii
be limited in its expansion only by the
price. If the natives can AFFORD to buy
wheat they VIII do SO. Rice is still the
principal food in Japan and China, but the
residents of these countries are begin
ming 10 learn to depend upon the Ameri-
can staff of Iife" The lower grades of
-four are used TO a considerable extent in
making paste in the enormous paper in
dbSlA8CS Ot JdpdH,
OF screens. fans, kites, and other articles
for which a low-priced and substantial
paste material is desired. The higher
grades of American -four that go 10 Asa
are chiefly for the naval vessels and the
foreign bakers who supply the local mar
ket with bread and cakes.
Almost all of the American -four con-
Sr.YneC in Tapap iS tho soft f1arlr Of
Washington and Oregon. There = very
little demand for hard-wheat flour. The
Japanese, accustomed to the white flour
made from rice, object to the dark color
Of the hard wheat. Almost all of the
wheat flour imported by Japan comes from
the United States. and to show how rapidly
its use Is increasing, 1t is found that in
1880 the United States exported to that
country II, s62 $50 bushels, valued at $780,
0s7 and in 1896 81, ,4Os.3l4 bushels, valued
at so19, ,59S.o9 or an increase of nearly 500
per cent in six years. A portion of the
increase for the year 1890 is accounted for
By the fact that II has been recently dis
covered that a steady rice diet encourages
the tendency to disease known to the
natives as "kakke." If wheat is occa-
siCfrally used this danger is greatly les
sered, and the japanese authorities have
ordered the occasional use of flour in the
army and navy. Their methods of manu-
featuring -four are primitive compared
with our own. The rice or wheat, after
being cleaned, IS ground to a powder OF
proper consistency by means of a stone
mortar. The power is usually furnished
by waterfalls.
In China conditions are slightly different,
but American -four since its Introduction
has continued to grow in popularity. The
quality and the color both commend it in
the Chinese markets, and II is easily su-
perior to any flour imported from other
lands. Although rice is generally regard
ed by the Chinese as the main bread
stuff staple, a large quantity of wheat has
been used from the most ancient times,
and in the earliest historic class.fications
wheat is named as one of the five grains.
In the northern provinces, rice is not
grown, and can only be purchased by the
weil-to-do, wheat is the great common ce-
real, but it is of a very poor quality. Blast
ed heads are seen in large numbers every
year, and, according to consular reports,
ergotism is disease very frequent among
the poor. This native -four is coarse and
dark, chiefly used in the form of vermiceili
which, when steamed, makes a good sub
stitute for rice, and is a very savory dish.