122 



sug^^ests itself is, Whenever the amount of nitrogen is increased in wheat is 

 it possible for a part of that nitrogen to be stored up in the germ and bran 

 and other parts, rather than in the portion used for flour-making purposes? 

 While in general the increase in the percentage of nitrogen in wheat was followed 

 by an increase of the total gluten, or gliadin and glutenin combined, yet cases 

 are cited in which the total nitrogen was much in excess of gliadin and glutenin, 

 suggesting that in the offal pai-ts a part of this excess of nitrogen was present. 

 So that in taking up the question the object would be to get the nitrogen in the 

 portion that is used for human food rather than in the germ and the offa). 



Another point bi'ought out was the necessity of having methods for determin- 

 ing the value, not only of wheat, l)ut cereals in general, where improvement is 

 contemplated. Of course we have individual ideas, but the ideas, perhaps, that 

 would be applicable to one wheat or one cereal would be more a local standard 

 rather than ap[)!icable to all conditions; and with that in view I think it would 

 be highly desirable at this time if the association could offer some help. I wouUl 

 therefore move that a committee of three be appointed by the chair to constitute 

 a committee on standards for determining the value of the cereals ; the committee 

 not to complete its work in one year, but to be more of a standing committee, 

 so as to have plenty of opportunity and time to take up this work, which would 

 involve a study of the actual value of cereals for human food purposes, their 

 value to the miller for flour-making purposes, their value to the baker for 

 bread-making purposes, and their value to the farmer for cultural purposes. 

 To illustrate further, some of these wheats that have a very high nitrogen con- 

 tent might be the very lightest weight wheats, and if you were to select on 

 nitrogen alone you would get the very lightest weight wheat in the market. 



Then, too, the question of flour yield should be considered. In some wheats 

 as high as 76 per cent of the total weight of the wheat is recovered as marketable 

 flour ; in others the yield is as low as 40 per cent. It is desirable to get as high 

 a yield of flour as possible and flour of the best quality, and that is the object of 

 this committee — to take this up in a broad way, so that we will have some 

 standards for comparison in this work. 



It has been found necessary to combine milling tests with analysis. In our own 

 station we have recently added a complete experimental milling plant v.ith four 

 reduction rollers, so that we can get the yields of all of the different grades of 

 flour and all of the offals. That is quite helpful, as the work, in order to meet 

 with the greatest measure of success possible, requires not only the careful 

 kind of work which ^Ir. Lyon has done, but must go a step further, getting 

 the flour value, the baking value, and, if necessary, the food value, as well as 

 determining the yield per acre and nitrogen content. 



C. E. Thorne, of Ohio. We have been testing a number of varieties of wheat 

 at the Ohio Station. One of these has given us a very high yield, and it has 

 begun to go upon the market. We are hearing from .the millers very strong 

 objections to that particular variety of wheat, saying that it is not a good flour- 

 making wheat. The millers are quoting the verdict of a private laboratory 

 which sustains this opinion. This year we sent to that private laboratory some 

 thirty-odd unnamed varieties of wheat, this one among the rest. Notwithstanding 

 the fact that this laboratory had previously given a verdict entirely unfavorable 

 to this particular variety, in the report which came back to us this particular 

 variety ranked second — next to the highest — in milling quality of the many 

 varieties of wheat. Therefore we feel the necessity very urgently and strongly 

 for a test laboratory of the kind mentioned, which shall be of uncontested 

 reputation as an authority, to which we may go for the determination of ques- 

 tions of this sort. 



We have been making analyses of wheat for a number of years, and have just 



