Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1901-04-13
OUR FLOUR In CHINA.
ITS USE BECOMING MORE COM.
MON AMONG CElESTiAtS.
They Find 1t More Economical than
Their own Food Products They Con.
sumo IL Mostly in the shape of
Boiled or Stca med Dishes.

The Chinese ARE learning to use flour.
With them IL II largely an acquired
taste. Americans are encouraging the
habit. and It Is very likely that us
China grows more prosperous the con-
sumption will greatly Increase. That
will give American flour merchants II
very big field for business.
In the two years ending with 1880
the imports of -four into China more
than trebled. In 1877 the value of Hour
taken there was SSUD, l!y2.SS. In 1880
II had grown to S2O54.sDi.Dl.
Henry Il. Miller, United States con-
sui ut Chun.King. reports to the govern.
ment that wherever flour has been In
trOtuccd into China there has been
such rapid Increase In the demand ana
In the consumption rs to give an as
surance of u continued and growing
| market for II In all sections where the
| cost of transportation does not bar Its
use. With the development of China
will come improved conditions with
the Chinese and II demand for better
and more diversified food.
| In all Chinese cities u very large per-
centage Of the population lives In Il
sort OF hnnd-tO.mOuth fashion. The
great necessity for economy In fuel
seems to be the primary cause Of this
mode of living. Throughout central
and southern China very little baked
bread IL used. The -four Is consumed
IN the form of dough or dunplings,
filled with chopped meat or meat and
vegetables ana fruit.
The flour Is made into dough and
then beaten into leathery substance.
1t Is then pressed into thin sheets ana
cut into strings. boiled and thus eaten,
or else made into dumplings and steam
cd. In nearly every case 1t Is eaten
while hot. Foreign -four Is also used
quite extensively In cakes ana Chinese
CONNECTIONS. The Chinese appetite
seems to demand boiled or steamed
food, rather than bnkes: hence very
little bread Is baked for Chinese con
sumption.
Foreign flour does not come into actu
nj competition with rice. and, of course
cannot altogether take Its place with
the great relocating population OF
China, but II furnishes cheap variety
of food. The merchants. mechanics
ana coolies In all the treaty ports Of
China get better incomes than those OF
the interior. and are able to add little
variety to their food. and are becoming
consumers Of foreign Hour.
| Wheat Is grown to some extent II
nearly every section of China, but more
extensively throughout the northern
and western than in the central ant
southern portions. In the north ant
west 1t Is used very generally for food
The grain Is ground In small ston'
mills, operated by hand Or ANNA
power.
The Chinese use vegetable growth
for fuel. among them tall millet. l
they take to using coal II great area %
country now given up to tall millet vii
no doubt be used for wheat growing
II Is not n fact that the limit of agrl
cultural and horticultural resources q
Chlnu have been reached On accOun
of the primitive methods Of milling
modern flour mills have been construct
ed there by Caucasians. One at Tien
Tsln was destroyed by the boxers.
There are two at Shanghai.
The consumption of flour in China
says Consul Miller, indicates good fu
ture market for American Hour an,
Touring mill machinery, as we'll rs EN-
ployment for skilled Americans in tn
construction and operation of hou
mills. The conservative character q
the people when it comes to chang
In methods Is such that 1t seems pei
fectly safe to predict that the deman
for flour for many years to come wi
, be far ahead of the local production
. The ability of the United states to plac
-four cheaply in all the great coas
; cities gives assurance OF an cNtenslv
and permanent trade between our cOul
try and the Orient.