Wheat, Oats, Rice, Barley and Rye 315 



varieties are readily distinguished by their short, compact, 

 club shaped heads. Their milling qualities are similar 

 to common wheat. 



455. (8) Durum Wheat varieties have noticeably 

 broad, smooth leaves. The heads are large and often 

 so heavily bearded that they resemble barley. The 

 grains are large and very hard and have more gluten and 

 less starch than common wheat. Durum wheat is 

 sometimes called " macaroni wheat" from the fact that it 

 is particularly well suited and largely used for making 

 macaroni and other paste products. The best durum 

 wheat flour makes an excellent quality of bread, though 

 not naturally so white as bread from common wheat. 



456. The Hardness and Texture of the grain vary 

 not only in the different varieties, but with the climate and 

 season in which the wheat is grown. Hard wheat varie- 

 ties which characterize dry regions, become soft when 

 grown in moist climates, and vice versa. This explains 

 why the fall sown wheats grown east of the Mississippi 

 River are largely soft wheats, and the wheat from the 

 drier sections of the West, largely hard wheats. Hard 

 wheat grains show a dark, horney appearance on- the 

 exposed surface when cut across, while the cross sections 

 of soft wheat are white and starchy. Varying with the 

 kind, quality, and grade of wheat and the milling processes, 

 the out turn of mill products are about as follows : Flour 

 usually 70 to 75 per cent ranging from 65 to 80 per cent. 

 The flour is usually run in two or more grades; bran 15 to 

 20 per cent; shorts and middlings, 5 to 8 per cent. 



457. Oats grow rapidly, a habit made possible by their 

 large development of leaves. Prof. King reports that 

 oats require more water to make a pound of dry matter 

 than wheat or corn, his experiment indicating 504 pounds 



