SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS. 119 



Plants bearing the largest number of kernels have kernels of more 

 than medium but not the greatest weight, as do also plants producing 

 the greatest weight of kernels. The same is true of plants producing 

 the greatest weight of proteid matter and gluten. 



Heavy seed wheat drilled at the rate of 1^ bushels per acre pro- 

 duced a much larger crop of seed the first year of the separation than 

 did light seed drilled at the same rate, but by continuing the separa- 

 tion of the respective crops and selecting heavy seed from the crop 

 grown from heavy seed, and light seed from the crop grown from 

 light seed, the difference in yield in three or four years was small. 



After the first year of separation the light seed produced a greater 

 amount of proteids per acre than did the heavy seed. 



A determination of the total or of the proteid nitrogen content in 

 the kernels on one row of spikelets of wheat affords a fairly close esti- 

 mate of the same constituents in the kernels on the other row of 

 spikelets. 



A determination of the total or of the proteid nitrogen content in 

 the kernels on one-half of the spikes on a wheat plant will give a very 

 good estimate of the same constituents in the kernels on the other 

 spikes, provided there are at least an average number of spikes on the 

 plant. 



There may be quite a large variation in the proteid nitrogen con- 

 tent of different spikes on the same wheat plant. 



Determinations of the proteid nitrogen content of 800 spikes of 

 wheat of the same variety representing different plants showed a 

 variation of from 1.12 to 4.95 per cent of proteid nitrogen, and 351 

 plants of the same variety the following year varied from .1.20 to 5.85 

 per cent. 



The proportion of gluten to proteids in kernels of different wheat 

 plants may vary considerably. A determination of proteid nitrogen 

 is therefore not always a guide to the gluten content of the wheat. 

 Selection for improvement should be based on the determination of 

 gluten. 



Wheat plants having kernels high in gluten contain a smaller pro- 

 portion of other proteids than do plants of medium or low gluten 

 content. 



In wheat of the same variety, raised in the same field in the same 

 year, the ratio of gliadin to glutenin was practically the same in 

 plants of low, medium, and high proteid nitrogen content. 



It may therefore be assumed that an increase in the gluten con- 

 tent of a given variety of wheat raised in the same region would carry 

 with it a corresponding improvement in its value for bread making, 

 although there might be fluctuations from year to year in the quality 

 of the gluten. 



