140 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



WHEAT. 



Our investigations of the wheat grain have shown that it is very 

 variable in its chemical composition, and that its variations are char- 

 acteristic of certain localities. For example, the percentage of albumi- 

 noids increases from the Atlantic coast toward the West, while in Ore- 

 gon the lowest percentages of nitrogen are found. The physical prop- 

 erties, color, size, and hardness, vary, too, to such a degree that it is 

 not difficult to decide at a glance where the most characteristic varieties 

 come from. Wheats from Dakota, Colorado, and Oregon are so entirely 

 different in their appearance that they can be distinguished even in a 

 photograph. 



A study of the causes of these variations and distinctive characters 

 shows that the wheat grain, of all the cereals, is the most susceptible 

 to its environment, and to this fact is due the peculiarities which are 

 found in various parts of the country. 



It is a plant of rapid growth, the grain being formed and ripened in 

 a very few weeks. For this reason climate and all meteorological con- 

 ditions produce a marked effect upon the grain, while the soil is equally 

 a conditioning agent in that the food supply must be immediately avail- 

 able and near the root. The plant cannot, like corn, go seeking, with 

 long roots, for its food. As climatic influences are paramount, it will 

 readily be understood that variations in the characteristics of the sea- 

 sons in the same locality will have a great influence on the grain, and 

 this is well illustrated by a series of analyses covering the crops grown 

 for several years in Colorado during which the seasons were quite vari- 

 able. 



The named varieties of wheat are numbered by hundreds, perhaps by 

 thousands, but they are merely evidence of the readiness with which 

 modifications of the grain can be produced by changes in the conditions 

 of growth. There is nothing definite or lasting in their characteristics, 

 and, as has been observed on the Continent, the transfer of ;' variety 

 from one locality to another is acconipanied by changes in its character- 

 istics approaching those of its new surroundings. 



Among our wheats, as has been said, it is not diflicult to tell from 

 its external characteristics what part of the country a specimen comes 

 from ; and among the most marked are the Colorado wheats of Pro- 

 fessor Blouftt, the Oregon and the Nortliwestern grain. 



The Oregon grain is a large light yellow, plump and handsome grain 

 of a very starchy nature. It owes its peculiarities, 1 believe, to the fact 

 that it is ripened slowly in a moist climate, and is as different from our 

 Eastern grain as has been found to be the case with beets under similar 

 circumstances. A cool and moist summer furnishes the best conditions 

 for the formation of the carbohydrates. 



Colorado grain is a contrast to that of Oregon, in that it is larger and 

 the berry loses the starchy appearance and becomes more glassy anil 

 amber-colored. It is rich in nitrogen and is, theoretically at least, tlio 

 most perfect grain among our samples. It should be stated that so far 

 it has only been produced on an experimental scale. 



A still greater contrast is presented by the spring wheat from Min- 

 nesota and Dakota. It is the smallest of all, dark colored, in nowise 

 plump, and very hard and rich in nitrogen. It is in fact the richest 

 gi'owu in this country, reaching in one instance to 18 per cent, of albu- 

 nfinoids, and produces, therefore, a very stiff' flour. Its character is due 

 to the climatic conditions in the same way as with the Oregon wheat, 



