DISCOVERY OF MAEQUI8 WHEAT 199 



(4) Soundness of the gram, as indicating its freedom 

 from fermentative changes. 



(5) Baking strength of the flour j or its ability to pro- 

 duce a large, well-raised loaf of bread. The relative 

 strength of flour is influenced by at least two groups of 

 factors: (a) The percentage and physical properties of 

 the two principal proteins of wheat flour, known collec- 

 tively as gluten, and (b) the quantity and- nature of the 

 yeast food originally present in the flour and formed dur- 

 ing the process of fermentation. 



(6) Absorption, or percentage of water necessary to 

 make a dough of proper consistency from the flour in bread- 

 making, since the more water that can be employed per 

 unit of flour, the greater the weight of bread which can be 

 produced from it. 



(7) The color of the flour, the demand being for a very 

 white product.''^ 



Factors (3) and (4), the moisture content and the 

 soundness of the grain, are controlled almost entirely by 

 the method of curing and handling the grain after it is 

 harvested and are not affected by varietal characteristics. 

 When Dr. Saunders was re-selecting all the mixed wheats 

 which came into his hands at Ottawa and the progeny of 

 numerous crosses which he made in 1903 and in subse- 

 quent years, he had to pay particular attention to the 

 plumpness and hardness of the kernels as influencing the 

 flour yield, and to the gluten content and general baking 

 qualities of the flour, including baking strength, absorp- 



71 Professor Bailey also points out that the quality of any wheat 

 is influenced not only by its varietal characteristics but also by the 

 soil and climatic conditions under which it is grown. Thus the 

 protein content and baking strength will almost invariably be 

 lower when the wheat is grown in a moist soil than when it is 

 produced under arid conditions. On the other hand, unfavorable 

 conditions, such as drought, rust, and hot winds, will result in 

 more or less shriveled grain giving lower flour yields when milled. 



