121 



ntteniptins: to estimate the eonstitutents that go to produce ghiten in the wheat, 

 hut there is so little known as to the location of these proteids in the kernel and 

 the relation that they bear to each other and to gluten that the matter is 

 very indefinite. But it was hoped to ascertain what variation there might be 

 :ind to throw some light on the matter, if possil)le. The results show that while 

 llie i)erceiitage of proteid nitrogen increased from 1.80 to 5.1G, the percentage of 

 gliadin plus glutenin nitrogen increa.sed from 1.7G to 2.20. In other words, 

 the increase in the proteid nitrogen content was very mucli greater in pro- 

 portion than the increase in the gliadin plus glutenin nitrogen. Therefore 

 the percentage of proteid nitrogen is not a guide in selection for the percentage 

 of gliadin jilus glutenin. and if we are selecting for these proteids we must 

 determine them sejiarately. It was further found that as far as the quality 

 of gluten may be determined by the proportion of gliadin to glutenin, that 

 quality remains practically the same as we increase the total per cent of 

 gluten. If the ratio of gliadin to glutenin indicates the quality of the gluten, 

 then in selecting [)lants of high gluten content we are selecting plants with the 

 same quality cf gluten as if we ai"e selecting plants cf low gluten content. 

 There would therefore be no danger of plants deterioriating in the quality of 

 j;Iuten if we select plants of high gluten content. 



A study of the relation cf the nitrogen content of the parent plant to that of 

 the offspring of the first generation showed that the tendency was for the prog- 

 eny to increase in percentage of nitrogen less rapidly than the mother plants, but 

 in tlie same way, thus demonstrating that the selection has an effect. This is an 

 important point, because if the kernels of the parent plant were immature or 

 shriveled they would naturally show a higher nitrogen content, and yet we 

 would not expect them to transmit their nitrogen content. If we find, however, 

 that there is a transmission of the nitrogen content we know that it is due to a 

 healthy condition of the plant and is a factor that can be depended upon in im- 

 proving the wheat in this way. 



We found the same tendency toward heredity in the weight of the average 

 kernel that we did in the nitrogen content. In other words, plants of a low 

 Aveight of kernel tend to produce plants having low kernel weight, and plants of 

 high kernel weight tend to produce i)lants of higher kernel weight. The varia- 

 tion is not so great as it was witli the nitrogen content: still it is consistent, or 

 nearly so, and the hereditary tendency is carried out. We find that wheat 

 varies very greatly in that i-espect from year to year. The plants, however, 

 maintain their relative standing as to weight of kernel. We have found that in 

 certain years — notably in dry years — the percentage of rntrogen is very high, 

 while the kernels are apt to be small ; but in spite of that, the production of 

 jiitrogen per acre is generally greater in dry years than in wet years. In other 

 words, the years when we have large crops we do not get as large a production 

 per acre of nitrogen in the grain. 



There was a very decided decrease in the yield with the lateness in ripening, 

 and a somewhat marked increase in percentage of proteid nitrogen. 



As the yield of grain on the i)lant increased the height of the plant increased 

 up to a certain point, and then began to decrease; so that the plants of large 

 yield were here plants of medium height. In a similar way the p]ant.s that 

 tillered largely were plants having a medium range of yield, and, as regards the 

 Y^eight of the average kernel, the plants of large yield were the plants having a 

 kernel of somewhat more than medium or large weight. So that the best 

 plants appeared to be the plants of average height, and the plants that tillered 

 mo.st were plants of average yield, although data on this point are somewhat 

 limited and do not warrant final conclusions. 



Some observations were made on the effect of winterkilling, which showed 

 that there was a constant increase in the yield of the average plant as the num- 

 ber of plants that survived increased. In otlier words, the effect of tiie freez- 

 ing seemed to be to weaken the other plants, or rather, the plants that did sur- 

 vive were injured by the cold, to which they were more susceptible than plants 

 in the families of which a large percentage survived the winter. 



H. Snydek. of Minnesota. There are one or two points that were brought out 

 by the figures that perhaps can be mentioned a second time without detrnnent, 

 and one was that with an increase of nitrogen there was a possiliility of /; slight 

 decrease in yield. Of course, in taking hold of this ((uestion it is higlily desir- 

 able that yield and quality be combined as far as possible. That is one < f the 

 problems that remains yet to be solved along this line. Another question that 



