FACTORS FOR YIELD AND QUALITY OF SPRING WHEAT 
Table 1. — Summary of milling and baking data from 69 comparable samples of 
Hard Federation and Marquis wheats grown during the seven years from 1918 to 
inclusive l 
Comparable samples 
Descriptive data 
Hard 
Federation 
Marquis 
Percent- 
age of 
Marquis 
69 
58.9 
13.3 
71.7 
15.3 
14.3 
62.7 
2,165 
507 
89.5 
92.4 
3.47 
69 
59.1 
13.7 
73.2 
14.2 
14.8 
60.5 
2,222 
502 
89.1 
91.4 
3.50 
Bushel weight 
Crude-protein content of wheat 2 ... 
pounds.. 
per cent.. 
99.7 
97.1 
Yield of straight flour 
Yield of shorts 
Yield of bran 
Water absorption of flour 
Volume of loaf . 
do.... 
do.... 
do.... 
do.... 
..cubic centimeters . 
98.0 
107.7 
96.6 
103.6 
97.4 
Weight of loaf 
Texture of loaf 
grams. . 
. . .per cent.. 
101. 
100.4 
Color of loaf 
Ash in flour 
do.... 
....do.... 
101.1 
94.0 
1 Experiments conducted by the Milling Investigations Section, Grain Division, Bureau of Agricultural 
Economics. 
2 NX5.7; basis, 13.5 per cent moisture. 
3 Only 68 samples. 
Since 1920 numerous agronomic data also have been accumulated 
which afford a basis for comparing the parental varieties. The data 
for six quantitative characters concerned in this inheritance study, 
from varietal experiments in plats at Bozeman, Moccasin, and Havre, 
Mont., are given in Table 2. 
The data in Table 2 show that Hard Federation heads at a con- 
siderably earlier date than Marquis under all three environmental 
conditions and that it ripens but slightly earlier and sometimes as late 
or later. This results in a fruiting period, or number of days from 
heading to ripening, longer for Hard Federation than for Marquis. 
The length of the fruiting period also varies with the season, and the 
season producing the longer fruiting period appears to be associated 
with higher yield. Marquis is shown to be considerably taller (pi. 1) 
than Hard Federation, and greater height within each variety seems 
to be directly associated with larger yields. 
That comparative yields of the two varieties differ greatly in certain 
seasons may be due in part to the opposing advantages of a long 
fruiting period and of the growth factors which develop plant height. 
On the average, Hard Federation has slightly outyielded Marquis 
at Bozeman and Moccasin, but not at Havre. However, the lower 
yields of Hard Federation under the unfavorable conditions at 
Havre seem to be due more to damage from weeds (Russian thistles) 
than to its earliness or lack of drought resistance. The short stems, 
and curling leaves of Hard Federation render it less adapted than 
Marquis to compete wdth weed growth. In the nursery at Havre, 
where weed growth was destroyed, Hard Federation produced the 
higher yields. 
The crude-protein content of the two varieties also differs greatly 
in certain seasons, with Marquis on the average exceeding Hard 
Federation at two of the three stations. High crude-protein content 
appears to be somewhat associated with low yields. 
Correlation studies of these various factors in the progeny of hy- 
brids of the two varieties will more definitely determine the amount 
