FOODS — HUMAN NUTRITION. 663 



impurities or the effect of any one kind of damafxe. such as frost or bin burning, 

 but were sufficient to show that their combined influence was very marked. 



Hard red spring ivheat containing a high percentage of moisture (pp. 337- 

 339). — To judge the effect of a high water content, samples of wheat containing 

 above 13.5 per cent of water were compared with the general average of samples 

 for the same years. " The effect of moisture on the weight per bushel is ap- 

 proximately the same for each of the 4 years and much as one would expect. 

 Water is lighter than chaff wheat. It swells the wheat and thus reduces the 

 test weight. The relation of the protein is not so definite. . . . The yield of 

 flour from the wet wheats is approximately as much below the average for the 

 various years as the moisture content is above, with the exception of the year 

 1911. . . . The wet samples lose more in milling than the average, which is in 

 accord with results previously obtained. Most of the rejected wheats have 

 fallen into this high moisture class, thus indicating the danger of storing wheats 

 high in moisture. The color and texture of the high moisture wheat would rank 

 above the average were it not for the presence of these rejected samples." 



Moisture in the soil early in the spring and the dockage of hard red spring 

 wheat (pp. 340-342). — The data brought together in the tables, according to 

 the authors, do not confirm the popular opinion that wet springs, which mean 

 vigorous growth of wheats, are responsible for high percentages of weed seeds 

 in the wheat crop. However, " it may be that some of the samples were par- 

 tially cleaned before arriving at the mill or that the nature of the preceding 

 crop or time of plowing were more important factors in weed development." 



Protein content of hard red spring ayid durum wheats from the same farm 

 (p. 343). — The data reported for 5 samples of hard spring, durum, and winter 

 wheats grown on adjacent fields in 5 counties showed an average protein con- 

 tent of 16.55, 17.48, and 15.28 per cent, respectively. 



Variation in loss in milling (pp. 343-347). — Data are brought together re- 

 garding the loss in milling noted in wheats in the years 1908 to 1911, inclusive. 

 According to the authors, " there is considerable variation in the loss in milling 

 within the month and from month to month. The loss is greater in the winter 

 time, on the average, than during the other months. This is significant, inas- 

 much as the precipitation is lightest at that portion of the year. Most mills 

 are probably drier during the winter, because of artificial heat. The wheat in 

 the elevator takes more moisture because of the humid condition during the 

 winter and has more to lose." 



Wheat study and investigation from a milling and baking standpoint, 

 E. F. Ladd {North Dakota Sta. Rpt. 1912, pt. 3, pp. 34S-396, fig. i).— The work 

 of the station on the grading of wheat with reference to its bread making 

 quality is reviewed, and tabular data showing milling and baking tests are 

 reported and discussed. 



According to the report, the data at hand do not cover a long enough period 

 to permit the drawing of conclusions regarding all of the many factors given. 

 A study of the more prominent tables shown " would indicate that the method 

 now employed in the grading of wheat does not give proper value to the lower 

 grades of wheat — that is, Nos. 2° and 3° — at least. The number of samples 

 that we have had in the No. 4° and rejected grades were too small to allow . . . 

 any very fair comparison to be made; but the comparison can be made down 

 to No. 3° fairly well. The factors that stand out the clearest in favor of the 

 lower grades are the percentage of flour obtained from them, the amount of 

 water the flour will absorb, the volume and color of the loaf produced." 



The data summarized al.so show that the method of grading is not satisfac- 

 tory when compared with the prices paid for the wheat and those received for 

 the mill products obtained from it. 



