the bubbles which appear and the gradual swelling of the whole mass.  It is the effect of the carbonic acid gas upon the gluten, which, when checked at the proper time before the ferment becomes acetic (sour) by baking, produces the sweet, wholesome bread which is the pride of all good housekeepers.  The kneading of bread is to break up the gas bubbles into small portions in order that there may be no large holes and the fermentation be equal throughout.  The loaf is baked in order to kill the ferment, to render the starch soluble, to expand the carbonic acid gas and drive off the alcohol, to stiffen the gluten and to form a crust which shall have a pleasant flavor.  Much of the indigestibility of bread is owing to the imperfect baking; unless the interior of the loaf has reached the sterilizing point, 212 deg.  F., the bacteria contained in the yeast will not be killed, and some of the gas will remain in the centre of the loaf.  The scientific method of baking bread is to fix the air cells as quickly as possible at first.  This can be done better by baking the bread in small loaves in separate pans, thereby securing a uniform heat and more crust, which is considered to be the most easily digested part of the bread.  Some cooks consider that long, slow baking produces a more desirable flavor and renders bread more digestible.  One hundred pounds of flour will make an average of one hundred and thirty-five pounds of bread.  This increase of weight is due to the addition of water.

MACARONI.

Macaroni is a flour preparation of great food value.  It contains about six per cent. more gluten than bread, and is regarded by Sir Henry Thompson as equal to meat for flesh-forming purposes.  Dieticians say that macaroni, spaghetti and vermicelli are not used so extensively as their value deserves.

BUCKWHEAT.

Buckwheat is the least important of the cereals.

RYE.

Rye is almost equal to wheat in nutritive value.  Its treatment in regard to bread making is similar to that of wheat.

CORN.

Corn contains fat, proteid and starch, and produces heat and energy.  It is very fattening, and when eaten as a vegetable is considered difficult of digestion.  Cornmeal is a wholesome food; it contains more fat than wheat flour, and less mineral matter.

RICE.

Rice constitutes a staple food of a great many of the world’s inhabitants.  It contains more starch than any other cereal, but when properly cooked is very easily digested.  It should be combined with some animal food, as it contains too little nitrogen to satisfy the demands of the system.  It forms a wholesome combination with fruit, such as apples, peaches, prunes, berries, etc.

BARLEY.

Barley is almost equal to wheat in nutritive value.  It contains more fat, mineral matter and cellulose (cellulose is often called indigestible fibre, as it resists the solvent action of the digestive juices, and is of no value as a nutrient), and less proteid and digestible carbohydrates.