THE PRODUCTION OF WHEAT 141 



other seems to be more satisfactory. The chief differences 

 are in the chaff and the habit of shattering. Bluestem 

 wheat has hairy chaff, while the chaff of fife wheat is smooth; 

 the bluestem type is a little more inclined to shatter when 

 mature than the fife. 



178. Velvet Chaff. Velvet chaff is a name given to a 

 distinct type of fife wheat which is becoming quite general 

 in a few localities in the spring wheat belt. This type of 

 wheat is bearded, is from five to ten days earlier than com- 

 mon fife or bluestem, and in some instances yields better. 

 There are several varieties, but all are similar in quality of 

 product. The grain weighs well to the bushel, usually two 

 or three pounds more than common spring wheat ; but owing 

 to the poor quality of its gluten, it does not produce quite so 

 good a quality of flour as fife and bluestem. 



179. Durum Wheat. Durum wheat is grown to some 

 extent in the spring wheat belt, and as a spring wheat in the 

 winter wheat belt. It is not a valuable wheat for flour- 

 making, though a very fair quality of bread may be made 

 from its flour. Its chief value is in the production of maca- 

 roni. In the best spring wheat sections, durum wheat does 

 not yield so well or produce grain of so good quality as it does 

 in the somewhat drier sections. It seems best adapted to 

 the semiarid region, where there is not sufficient moisture 

 to produce satisfactory crops of common spring wheat. 



IMPORTANCE OF THE CROP 



180. World Production. The countries leading in the 

 production of wheat in 1910, with the acreage and production 

 of each according to the Bureau of Statistics of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture, are shown in the table 

 which follows. 



