A three-fluid description of the solar wind is used to investigate the mass flux, helium abundance, and flow speeds at 1 AU as a function of heat input in the inner corona. The solar wind model includes continuity, momentum, and energy equations for each of the three species, electrons, protons, and alpha particles. The energy equations contain parameterized heat sources for an of the three species. The energy equation for the electrons also includes radiation losses in the transition region. We study the effect of heating different particle species. We show that for a given set of plasma parameters at the coronal base, heating the electrons, proton and alpha particles, or all three species, can result in the same mass flux, helium abundance, and proton flow speed at 1 AU, yet very different plasma properties in the inner corona. The plasma parameters we consider are characteristic of the high speed solar wind. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1995.