HOWARD, LEAKE AND HOWARD. 51 



with a low proportion of soluble phosphates, a high percentage of 

 chlorides and sulphates with more lime than magnesia. 1 



4. Consistency. The effect of environment on the consistency 

 of the wheat grain, i.e., its translucent or starchy appearance, has 

 been perhaps more thoroughly investigated than any other aspect 

 of the question. There is no doubt that consistency depends 

 very largely on the soil, on the available moisture and on the 

 nutrition of the crop and that, in many cases, great changes take 

 place in this character in any variety according to the conditions 

 under which it is grown. From the miller's point of view the 

 consistency of the sample is of the highest importance and is one of 

 the main factors in determining the value of wheat. Consistency 

 is commercially important in two ways. Firstly, it affects the pro- 

 cess of conditioning or the adjustment of water previous to grind- 

 ing — -as a rule translucent wheats take up more water than soft 

 samples. Secondly, translucent grains usually behave better than 

 soft wheats in the mill and are more free grinding, thus enabling the 

 separation of bran from flour to be made with ease. As strong wheats 

 are frequently translucent, translucency is sometimes considered to 

 be an indication of strength, but this is not always the case as both 

 translucent weak wheats and mellow strong wheats occur. In spite 

 of these exceptions, however, the consistency of the grain remains 

 a very important factor in the commercial valuation of a wheat. 



5. Quality. Good quality in wheaten flour has been defined 

 by Humphries 2 as ' ' the sum of excellence on several points ' ' and 

 these are five in number : (1) flavour ; (2) colour of the flour ; (3) 

 strength, i.e., size and shape of loaf ; (4) stability of dough ; (5) yield 

 of bread per sack of flour. It is obvious that information on such 

 points cannot be determined in any other way than by milling and 

 baking tests. In seeking information on the effect of environment 

 on the quality of the grain it is therefore clearly essential to submit 

 the sample to a complete test in the mill and bakehouse. 



1 See Jago — The Technology of Breadniaking, London, 1911, p. 323. 



2 Humphries, Quality hi Wheaten Flour— a paper read before the Joint Session of the 

 Chemistry, Botany and Agriculture Sections of the British Association at Winnipeg, 1909, 



