Wheat Investigations. 4i 



the baking test with the results of the chemical analysis of the 

 flours it will be noted that the quality of gluten is very well re- 

 flected in the volume and appearance of the bread loaves. With 

 a few rather striking exceptions the volume of loaf appears to 

 follow in a number of cases also the quantity of gluten. This 

 point will be recurred to later. 



Since the volume of loaf is at present the most reliable in- 

 dex of flour strength, and further, one of the most important 

 factors in determining the commercial value of bread wheat, it 

 will be of interest to determine how the wheats from the pure 

 lines here considered would rank among the chief American 

 wheats. We may here again refer to the study of several classes 

 Of American wheats by L. M. Thomas. 22 On the basis of ex- 

 tensive baking tests involving 1386 samples Thomas found the 

 following average volume for each of the five classes of Ameri- 

 can wheats : 



Soft white 1,907 c.c. 



Soft red winter 1,965 c.c. 



Durum wheat 2,070 c.c. 



Hard red winter 2,219 c.c. 



Hard red spring 2,421 c.c. 



'Comparing our best line 2393 having a volume of 2,221 c.c. we 

 find that it falls just 200 c.c. short of the average volume of its 

 own class of wheat, the hard spring wheat. From a diagram 

 in Thomas' bulletin in which the distribution of the 574 samples 

 with regard to volume in the hard spring wheat class are illus- 

 trated we may note that about 15 per cent of hard spring wheat 

 samples had a loaf volume lower than some of our best lines. 

 Further reference to the average loaf volume of American 

 wheats given above, shows that our best lines furnished a loaf 

 volume very considerably higher than the average of the two 

 ■classes of soft wheat, a higher than the average of the durum 

 class, and equal to the average of the hard red winter class. 

 From this comparison we note that our best lines of wheat are 

 as strong as 15 per cent of the hard red spring wheats and 50 

 per cent of the hard red winter wheats. 



The data given by Thomas are based on samples taken from 

 the crops of 1908 to 191 3 inclusive. If we should consider the 



22 L.c. pp. 18-19. 



