Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-06-25
Unbolted Flour.

Unholted Flour.
When wheat was first ground for hui
man consumption the product obtained
was an unbolted wheat meal. which
was used for bread making for many
centuries In the course of time, how
ever, attempts were made with more
or less success to produce whittier and
mere attractive product. At first the
amount of bran removed was relatively
small. consisting only of the coarsest
particles, but gradually, by improved
processes of sitting. more of the bran
| WAS removed. and the resulting Hour
| was more uniform in appearance ana
| whittier i'll cofor.
According to sylvester Graham. who
! lived from 1894 to 1851. the ancients
recognized that the bread made from
wheleweat flour was more conducive
| to general health and vigor and better
adapted to nourish and sustain than
bread made from superfine flour. and
lathletes in those times ate the coarse
bread only. Graham quoted Hippo
crates who is recognized as the father
| of medicine, as commencing bread
made from unbolted wheat meal for
| its salutary effect on the organs of di-
gestion. Graham, who was physician
| and a student of dietetics, recognized
from his practice the efficacy of whole
wheat flour in all disorders of the di
gestive apparatus. He claimed in his
book that he had never known of
case of intestinal disturbance teven
though of years standing). to fail ~
give way after course of wheat bread
of proper character had been substi-
tuted for that made of superfne flour.
Graham also quoted Baron Steuben as
saying that the peculiar healthfuIness
of the Prussian soldiers was in great
measure to be attributed To their am
Imunition bread made of grain, tritur
ated or ground, but not holder, which
was accounted the most wholesome
and nutritious part of their rations."
He further quoted from Samuel Prior
in regard to the French English war at
the close of the eighteenth century,
Iduring which it was shown that owing
to the great scarcity of grain, due to
the small crops in England and to the
lfact that imports into that country
were cut off by the French, parliament
found it necessary and expedient to
pass an act Ito be in force for two
lyears) that the army at home be sup
piled with bread made of unbolted
wheat meal in order that wheat might
go as far as possible and for the better
supply of the army on the continent.
Throughout Great Britain the soldiers
who were supplied with such bread
were at first greatly displeased and
refused to eat 1t, and even threw 1t
away in great rage. However after
two or three weeks they began to be
much pleased with it and preferred it
to the fine flour bread" The result of
this experiment was that in a few
lmorths the health of the soldiers i'm
proved so much as to become matter
of favorable comment on the part of
the army surgeons and officers, who
l"publicly declared that the soldiers
were never before so healthy and ro-
bust and that diseases of every kind
had almost entirely disappeared from
the army" Owing to the fact that the
newspapers and the civic physicians
recommended this bread generally as
the most healthy bread that could be
; eaten it became so generally used
that in many towns it was almost i'm
possible to find loaf of fine flour
bread Subsequently, due to the heavy
. importation of fine flour from America
and to larger crops at home, and to the
fact that the act of parliament was nc
. longer in effect, the people gradually
, returned to their old habits of eatins
> fine flour bread.
Graham, who was n noted temper.
ance reformer and lecturer, convinced
, from his own experience and that o.
, previous ages of the efficacy and valu,
: of whole-wheat bread, started, abou
4 the time his book appeared $3.50,
i countrywide agitation in favor of
return to the use of bread made will
a the whole of the wheat, ground, bu
: not bolted He gave specific direction
;, in regard to the treatment of the whea
n used for bread making, namely, that i
II Unjust be plump, mature and free from
trust and other diseases; it must b
n thoroughly cleansed. not only from
! lchaff. cookies, tares and such sub
i lstances, but also from smut and ever,
v kind of impuritys that may be attache
to the skin of the kernel. In othe
F" words, the wheat should be washed an
n cleaned from all impurities. ground b.
means of sharp stones coarse rattle
than fine, inasmuch as the coars
# ground flour makes a bread sweete
n and more wholesome. From that tim
: to this unbolted wheat meal has bee
t. lpopularly known as Graham -four
Indianapolis News.