SOME PROPERTIES OF THE WHEAT KERNEL. 



71 



Table 11. — Sunnnary of analyses of plants, arranged according to weight of average 'kernel. 



Crop of 1903. 



With an increase in the weight of the kernel, as shown by this 

 table, there is an irregular increase in the number of kernels on the 

 plant up to a point somewhat beyond the kernel of average weight, 

 after which there is a decrease. The weight of the kernels on the 

 plant seems to follow the same rule. The percentage of proteid 

 nitrogen in the kernels decreases, in general, with the w^eight of the 

 a^^erage kernel, while the number of grams of proteid nitrogen in 

 the average kernel increases steadily. The grams of proteid nitro- 

 gen in all the kernels on the plant increase up to the same point as 

 do the number of kernels on the plant, and then decrease. 



Table 12 shows the summary of the analyses of the crop of 1903, 

 arranged according to the grams of proteid nitrogen in the average 

 kernel. All plants having less than 0.0003 gram of proteid nitro- 

 gen form the first class, and the following classes increase wdth each 

 0.0001 gram of proteid nitrogen. 



It is difficult to trace any relation betw^een the grams of proteid 

 nitrogen in tho aveiage kerne] and the number of kernels on the plant, 

 or the weight of the kernels on the plant. The weight of the average 

 kernel increases directly with the grams of proteid nitrogen in the 

 kernel. The percentage of proteid nitrogen increases regularly 

 with an increase in the grams of proteid nitrogen in the average 

 kernel. The grams of proteid nitrogen in all the kernels on the plant 

 show no definite relation to the grams of proteid nitrogen in the 

 average kernel. 



It becomes evident from these results that selection of large, 

 heavy kernels for seed would result in discarding the immature 

 and unsound kernels, but that there would also be discarded many 

 sound kernels, which, although small and of low specific gra^•ity, 

 would contain a high percentage of proteids. 



