Mat 3, 1918] 



SCIENCE 



431 



John Smiths, same name, but different persons 

 and with distinguishing characteristics, which 

 he has omitted. 



This initial test in 1S97 showed the nec- 

 essity of having the whole-wheat and white 

 floutrs milled from the same wheat, which waa 

 done and so reported in all subsequent work. 

 The necessity of having all flours compared, 

 milled from the same wheat is specifically 

 mentioned in Director True's letter of trans- 

 mittal* to the Secretary of Agriculture. He 

 says: 



A special point in connection with Professor 

 Snyder's report is that the different samples of 

 flour used were all ground from the same lot of 

 wheat. His investigations form an unusually sat- 

 isfactory basis for judging the comparative nu- 

 tritive value of so-called ' ' graham ' ' flour, which 

 contains the whole-wheat grain and which is really 

 an unbolted wheat meal; so-called " whole- wheat " 

 or " entire- wheat flour" obtained by removing part 

 of the bran and grinding the rest of the kernel; 

 and ordinary patent flour. 



In order to make it appear that as large 

 amounts of nutrients are obtained from the 

 whole-wheat as from the white flour, Mr. 

 Dutcher selects the only case where the whole- 

 wheat and white flours were made from differ- 

 ent wheats and so indicated in the original, 

 and, omitting to state this, applies this single 

 result with the very large number of results 

 where the two flours are milled alike from the 

 same wheat. Such a method of comparison 

 makes an unwarranted use of my data and is 

 unscientific. 



He also states : 



Professor Snyder has gone a step farther and 

 makes the assertion that whole-wheat flour is not 

 only less nutritious, but is actually harmful, caus- 

 ing diarrhea and digestive disturbances. 



This is not correct. I have never made 

 such a statement. I have repeatedly pointed 

 out the physiological value of whole-wheat 

 flours for correcting some cases of constipa- 

 tion, and also stated that when there is a 

 tendency to diarrhea the whole-wheat bread 

 may aggravate this disturbance, and suggested 



lO. E. S. Bulletin 101, TJ. S. Department of 

 Agriculture. 



that the consumer must determine the fact. 

 Certainly no one else can. This question can, 

 however, be consistently raised as noted later. 



In discussing scientific subjects it is un- 

 usual to suggest ulterior motives, as he has 

 done; such a procedure is not in the domain 

 of science. 



Dutcher gives a simimary of some state- 

 ments in answer to a letter sent out by a " gov- 

 ernment chemist of prominence," name not 

 given. Any prominent government chemist 

 who at this time really has anything of value 

 to offer would readily have his work accepted 

 and published by the government, and it would 

 not be necessary to get Dutcher to publish it 

 for him. It would be interesting to know if he 

 has presented his views and had them re- 

 jected by the government and the Food Ad- 

 ministration. 



Xo mention is made of others who have ob- 

 tained similar results to mine, or to the fact 

 that my work was repeated at the University 

 of Maine by Woods and Merril and checked at 

 "Washington by the U. S. Department of Agri- 

 culture, under whose direction the tests were 

 made. They extended over a period of ten 

 years. 



Mr. Dutcher makes a vigorous outcry 

 against the price of bran, and advises methods 

 of farming whereby the fanners " would never 

 again resort to the expensive mill feeds." And 

 this at a time when farmers are being urged 

 to raise more wheat! The U. S. Food Ad- 

 ministrator permits the miller to take a profit 

 of 50 cents per ton on his bran. The above 

 and others of his statements are made without 

 sustaining facts. 



But to return to the subject, " The Conser- 

 vation of Wheat." It is argued that the wheat 

 crop can be made to go further by using whole- 

 wheat flour. We have an abundance of corn 

 but a shortage of wheat. The question is 

 then : How can we use jointly the two crops to 

 the best advantage? 



A pound of wheat by-product used as human 

 food supplies about 500 available calories and 

 about .05 of a poimd of digestible protein. A 

 pound of corn meal or com flour supplies over 



