"126 F. B. GUTHRIE. 
In 1893, Messrs. Osborne and Voorhees published the results 
of their investigations into the nature of the proteids of the wheat- 
kernel.!_ In the course of a long and careful series of experiments 
they established, among other interesting points, the fact that the 
gluten of the wheat-kernel consists of two proteid substances, one 
soluble in weak alcohol, the other insoluble. To these proteids 
they gave the names gliadin and glutenin respectively. The 
grain they experimented upon was of two kinds, Scotch Fife and 
Fultz. In the glutens from these varieties they obtained 615% 
glutenin and 38-5% gliadin in the case of the Scotch Fife, and 
63-2°% glutenin and 36-8% gliadin in the case of the Fultz. Both 
these grains belong to the same class of wheats and contain Fife 
blood. 
It remained to be seen whether the proteids existed in the same 
proportions in other grain as in those used by Messrs. Osborne 
and Voorhees, and whether any variation which might be observed 
in the proportions was coincident with the variation in the water- 
absorbing quality of the flour. 
"The wheats selected for the purpose of these experiments are 
typical of some of the more important families of grain, and those 
offering striking peculiarities either in the strength or gluten- 
content of the flour They were sown last year with this particular 
object in view by Mr. Wm. Farrer of Queanbeyan, a gentleman 
whose valuable services in the propogation and cross-breeding 
of wheats are recognized all over the world, and were harvested 
early in this year. They may therefore be relied upon as pure 
and true to name, a point of the utmost importance in an investi- 
gation of this nature. The wheats were milled by Mr. E. H. 
Gurney of the Department of Agriculture on the system which 
we elaborated together and explained in detail in the publication 
already referred to. To these gentlenien I desire to convey MY 
warmest thanks for their valuable co-operation. 
The types selected were the following :—Improved ‘Fife, Horn- 
blende, Toby, Triticum Polonicum, Australian Poulard a” 
ence 
1 American Chemical Journal, Vol. xv., No. 6. 
