The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1901-04-19
OUR FLOUR In CHINA.
ITS USE BECOMING MORE CON-
MON AMONG CELESTlALS.
They Find 1t More Economical than
Their Own Food Products-They Con-
sumo 1t Mostly in the shape of
Boiled or Steamed Dishes.

The Chinese are learning to use Hour.
With them it is largely an acquired
taste. Americans are encouraging the
habit and it is very likely that as
China grows more prosperous the con-
sumption will greatly increase, That
will give American flour merchants
very big field for business.
In the two years ending with 1879
the imports Of flour into China more
than trebled. In 1897 the value of flour
taken there was $500, 1928. In 1899
1t had grown to $2,054, ,S91.94.
Henry Il. Miller United States con-
sui at Chun- King, reports to the govern
ment that wherever flour has been In
troduced into China there has been
such rapid increase in the demand and
in the consumption as to give an as
surance of a continued and growing
market for it 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 demand for better
and more diversified food.
In all Chinese cities a very large per-
centage of the population lives in a
sort of hand-to-mouth fashion, The
great necessity for economy in fuel
seems to be the primary cause OF TINS
mode Of living. Throughout central
and southern China very little baked
bread is used. The -four is consumed
in the form of dough or dumpings,
filled with chopped meat or meat and
vegetables and fruit.
The flour is made into dough and
then beaten into a leathery substance.
ut is then pressed into thin sheets and
cut into strings, boiled and thus eaten,
or else made into dumplings and steam
ed. In nearly every case it is eaten
while hot Foreign flour is also used
quite extensively in cakes and Chinese
CONNECTIONS. The Chinese appetite
seems to demand boiled or steamed
food. rather than bakes; hence very
little bread is baked for Chinese con
sumption.
Foreign flour does not come into actu'
al competition with rice, and, of course
cannot altogether take its place with
the great relocating population OF
China, but it furnishes cheap variety
of food. The merchants, mechanics
and 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 -four
Wheat is grown to some extent IL
nearly every section of China, but more
extensively throughout the northern
and western than in the central ant
southern portions. In the north anC
west it is used very generally for food
The grain is ground in small stone
mills, operated by hand or anima
power.
The Chinese use vegetable growthi
for fuel, among them tall millet. L
they take to using coal q great area o
country now given up to tall millet vii
! no doubt be used for wheat growing
1t is not a fact that the limit Of agri
cultural and horticultural resources o
China have been reached. On accoun
. of the primitive methods of milling
modern flour mills have been construct
ed there by Caucasians. One at lien
, Tsin was destroyed by the boxers.
, There are two at Shanghai.
The consumption of flour in China
saws Consul Miller, indicates a good fu
ture market for American -four am
D Touring mill machinery, as well as EN-
, ployment for skilled Americans in tn
! construction and operation Of fiou
mills. The conservative character o
the people when it comes to chang
, in methods is such that 1t seems pei
, fectly safe to predict that the deman
: for -four for many years to come wi
O he far ahead of the local production
!. The ability of the United States to plac
a -four eheaply in all the great coas
o cities gives assurance of an eXtensiy
A and permanent trade between our cour
+ try and the Orient.