Nov. I, iQig 



Yellow-Berry in Hard Winter Wheat 



167 



THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF YELLOW-BERRY WHEAT 



The chemical composition of yellow-berry, especially as related to 

 protein content, has been the subject of several investigations. Snyder, 

 of the Minnesota Experiment Station (7, 8), in comparing 63 light 

 (starchy) and 30 dark (flinty) lots of grain, found a slight difference 

 in the protein content in favor of the hard grain. The chief differences 

 in chemical composition of yellow-berry and hard kernels of the same 

 sample found by the writer are a higher moisture content, a lower pro- 

 tein content, and a higher starch content in the yellow-berry kernels 

 as compared with the hard kernels. The data secured in this investiga- 

 tion are given in Tables VII and VIII. 



Table VII. — Analyses of yellow-berry wheat 



Chemistry labora- 

 tory No. 



Botany 

 labora- 

 tory No. 



Mois- 

 ture. 



Ash. 



Crude 

 protein. 



Crude 

 fiber. 



Nitro- 

 gen-free 

 extract. 



Pento- 

 sans. 



Ether 

 extract. 



603. 

 60s. 

 607. 

 609. 

 611. 

 613. 

 61S. 

 617. 

 619. 

 631. 



951 

 1094 



III9 



II26 



1150 



1516-8 



1592-6 



1687-4 



1687-8 



1687-10 



Per cent 

 8.47 

 8.42 

 8.S9 

 7-37 

 7.72 

 7.71 

 7-73 

 7. 21 

 6. 71 

 8.07 



Per cent. 

 1.83 

 1.86 

 1.71 

 1.64 

 1.96 

 1-57 

 I. 71 

 1.87 

 1.94 

 1.79 



Per cent. 

 10.36 



10.44 

 9.72 

 10. 76 

 10.80 

 10. 04 

 10. 80 

 10.79 

 10.96 



Per cent. 

 2- SI 



2. 22 

 2. 19 

 2. 10 

 2.05 

 2. 19 

 2- S3 

 2. IS 

 2.30 

 2. 22 



Per cent. 

 74-99 

 7S.08 

 7S-29 

 77.04 

 75- 61 

 7S-68 

 76.04 

 7S-92 

 76. 16 

 74.96 



Per cent. 

 7.60 

 7.66 

 7.27 

 7.68 

 7-99 

 7.08 

 8.03 

 7-8s 

 7-73 

 7.67 



Per cent. 

 69- 34 

 67.6s 

 64.50 

 67-33 

 66. 17 

 70.62 

 63-47 

 63- S8 

 69. 26 

 68.18 



Per cent. 

 1.84 



1.78 

 2.13 



2. 05 

 1-95 

 2.05 



Total... 

 Average. 



78.46 

 7.846 



105. IS 

 10. SIS 



22.46 



2. 246 



7S6. 77 

 75-677 



75-56 

 7-556 



670. 10 

 67.01 



19-74 

 1.974 



Table VIII. — Analyses of hard, flinty wheat 



Chemistry labora- 

 tory No. 



Botany 

 labora- 

 tory No. 



Mois- 

 ture. 



Ash. 



Crude 

 protein. 



Crude 



fiber. 



Nitro- 

 gen-free 

 extract. 



Pento- 

 sans. 



Starch. 



Ether 

 extract. 



604. 

 606. 

 608. 

 610. 

 612. 

 614. 

 616. 

 618. 

 620. 

 622. 



951 

 1094 

 1119 

 1126 

 1150 

 1516-8 

 1592-6 

 1687-4 

 1687-8 

 1687-10 



Per cent. 

 8. 20 

 8.63 

 7-97 

 7.41 

 7.68 

 7. 22 

 7. 20 

 6.98 

 7.24 

 7-83 



Per cent. 

 1.99 

 2. 02 

 2. 06 

 1.91 

 2.03 

 1.87 

 I. 90 



Per cent. 

 12.00 

 12.00 

 12.00 

 11.32 

 12.30 

 12.08 

 12. 04 

 12. 12 

 12.08 

 11.96 



Per cent 

 2. 6s 

 2-50 

 2.36 

 2-33 



2. II 



2.18 



2. so 



Per cent. 

 73-31 

 73-02 

 73-96 



75-10 

 74.06 

 74-55 

 74-51 

 74-96 

 74-34 

 73.80 



Per cent 

 8.17 

 7.86 

 7-32 

 7-87 

 8.37 

 7- 8s 

 8.S2 

 7.66 

 7-s8 

 7-63 



Per cent. 

 68.82 

 60.93 

 66.9s 

 63- 96 

 64. 60 

 65- 79 

 62. 01 

 62. 09 

 65.67 

 66.81 



Per cent. 

 1.85 

 1-83 



1. 6s 

 1-93 

 1.82 



2. 10 

 I. 85 

 1-95 

 1-97 



Total.,.. 

 Average. 



76.34 

 7-634 



19.66 

 1.966 



119.90 

 11.99 



23.66 

 8.366 



741.61 

 74. 161 



78-83 

 7.883 



647. 62 

 64. 763 



18.83 



The results show a higher percentage of starch in the yellow-berry 

 wheat than in the flinty kernels, the average percentages being 67.01 and 

 64.762, respectively. They show also an average starch ratio of 6.37 

 for the yellow-berry kernels and of only 5.40 for the flinty kernels. It 

 appears probable that the smaller amount of protein in the starchy grains 

 is not only fully compensated for by an equivalent deposition of starch 

 but more than compensated for, since the percentage of protein is i .475 

 less and the percentage of starch 2.248 greater in the starchy than in the 

 flinty kernels. 



