Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 9.djvu/361

F L F L O 347 pressed in the hands it ought to show a certain amount of adhesiveness. It should be free from all smell of damp or mouldiness, and it should have no acidity of taste. For the purposes of the baker its strength is measured by the amount and quality of its gluten or nitrogenous constituents, which may be roughly estimated by making up a little dough and observing its tenacity when drawn out; but a more accurate means of measuring its elasticity is provided by the aleurometer of M. Boland, a Parisian baker. The following analytical statement of the constituents of flour, and other calculations concerned therewith, are extracted from Professor Church s Handbook of Food, prepared for the Science and Art Department : Composition of Fine Flour from White Soft Wheat. In 100 parts. In 1 tb. Water 13-0 2 oz. 35 grs. Fibrin, &c 10 5 1,, 297 Starch, &c 74 3 11,, 388 Fat 0-8 ,, 57 Cellulose 07 44 Mineral matter 07 0,, 49 "One pound of good wheaten flour, when digested and oxidized in the body, might liberate force equal to 2283 tons raised one foot high. The greatest amount of external work which it could enable a man to perform is 477 tons raised one foot high. For one part of flesh- formers in fine wheaten flour there are 7| parts of heat-givers reckoned as starch. One pound of wheaten flour can not produce more than about 1| oz. of the dry nitrogenous sub stance of muscle or flesh." Statistics of the Flour Trade. The disproportion between the grain producing and consuming capacity of the United Kingdom is very great and yearly increasing, and the deficiency in our own crops are made good from almost all quarters of the globe. In the discussion of this principal portion of the British food supply, the whole grain crops of the kingdom and the entire imports of all kinds of grain would require to be taken into consideration, and this large question cannot be here entered upon. The extent of our import trade in wheat and flour is indicated by the follow ing table, relating to the five years 1872-G; and the detailed statement for 1876 gives the principal sources whence these supplies are drawn : Total Imports of Wheat and Flour, 1872-1876. Year. 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 Wheat. Cwt. 42,127,726 43,863,098 41,527,638 51,876,517 44,454,657 Value. 26,169,185 28,538,746 25,236,932 27,510,469 23,178,011 MTheat Heal and Flour. Cwt. 4,388,136 6,214,479 6,236,044 6,136,083 5,959,821 Value. 4,087,639 5,849,852 5,685,076 4,870,257 4,741,515 Country. Austrian territories Russia Northern ports Southern ports Sweden Denmark Germany Holland France Spain Italy Turkey Wiillnchia and Moldavia.. Egypt United States On the Atlantic On the Pacific Chili British India Bombay and Scinde.... Bengal and Biirmah .. Australia British Xorth America .. Other countries Total , Wheat. Cwt. 1,977,346 6,803,282 58,411 263,205 2,324,148 81.071 292,050 243,744 215,735 862,884 379,079 2,223,238 12,737,096 6,585,958 982,379 932,084 2,355,152 2,605 550 2,423,183 109,062 44,454,657 Value. 1,000,226 3,403,375 30,511 146,416 1,331,521 42,898 158,439 138,542 117,789 399.596 168,558 950,615 6,583,563 3,730,810 511,640 482,921 1,163,706 1,473,749 1,281,555 56,581 Wheat Meal and Flour Cwt. 445,626 j- 104,928 930,819 1,089,400 20,811 1,895,011 425,218 24,211 189,320 283,034 80,333 5,059,821 Value. 487,163 96,459 366,011 769,074 888,867 13,306 1,351,754 351,532 19,567 131,431 201,514 64,837 4,741,015 Sources, Quantities, and Value of Imports of Wheat and Flour into Great Britain in 1876. The subjoined extract from the London Corn Exchange Report for 4th March 1878 will suffice to show the market classification of flour, and give an approximately accurate idea of the relative value of the various descriptions : London, top-price brands.... sk. of 280 lb 47s. to 50s. usual households 393. ,, seconds 379 ,, cheap households 36s. Cones, from Rivetts 343. Rice 30s. Country households, Norfolk 35 a . Herts, Essex, and Suffolk 36s. Surrey, Kent, and Sussex .. 36s. 30s. 36s. American Extra State.... barrel of 196 tb 25s. 61. 28s. Canadian, fine 27s. Patent process, extra fine 30s. Sour and stale Value of empty barrels 10d. French Gruaux, for pastry 280 lb 48s. Superior Paris marks 45s. Eight marks, Paris 47s. Darblay, A B No. 2 Spanish 1st quality 43s. Baltic AVhites, gold medal 42s. ,, Marked 000 41s. Odessa 280 lb, No. 1 44s. Hungarian P.W.M., 000 60s. C.D. Queen s P. 57s. ,, Victoria Empress 58s. , , 5 Roses 66s. ,, 5 Crowns 66s. ,, 5 A s 56s. Australian Superfine 43s. ,, Fine 39s. ,, Household 37s. 41s. 88s. 38s. 36s. 33s. 37s. 38s. 38s. Is. 54s. 46s. 48s. 49s. 44s. 41s. 46s. 44s. 43s. 47s. 59s. 57s. 57s. 67s. 45s. 41s. 39s. (J. PA.) FLOURENS, GUSTAVE (1838-1871), a French social democrat and writer, a son of M. J. P. Flourens, was born at Paris, August 4, 1838. Before he had attained his twenty-first year he obtained at the college of Louis-le- Grand the diplomas of licentiate in letters and in sciences. In 1863 he undertook for his father a course of lectures at the College de France, the subject of which was the history of mankind. His theories as to the manifold origin of the human race, however, gave offence to the clergy, and he was precluded from delivering a second course. He then repaired to Brussels, where he published his lectures under the title of flistoire de I Homme ; he next visited Constan tinople and Athens, took part in the Cretan insurrection of 1866, spent some time in Italy, where an article of his in the Popolo d Italia caused his arrest and imprison ment, and finally, having returned to France, nearly lost his life in a duel with Paul de Cassagnac, editor of the Pays. In Paris he devoted his pen to the cause of repub licanism, and at length, having failed in an attempt to organize a revolution at Belleville, February 7, 1870, found himself compelled to flee from France. Returning to Paris on the downfall of Napoleon, he soon placed himself at the head of a body of 500 tirailleurs. On account of his insur rectionary proceedings he was taken prisoner at Crdteil, near Vincennes, by the provisional government, and con fined at Mazas, December 7, 1870, but was released by his men on the night of January 21-22. On the 18th March he joined the Communists. As colonel of the 19th and 20th arrondissements he took part in an attack on Ver sailles, and early in the morning of the 3d of April was killed in a hand-to-hand conflict at Rueil, near Malmaison. Besides his Science de I Homme (Paris, 1869), Gustave Flourens was the author of numerous fugitive pamphlets. FLOURENS, MARIE JEAN PIERRE (1794-1867), a celebrated French physiologist, was born at Maureilhan,