DISTRIBUTION OF WHEAT IN THE UNITED STATES 
27 
CLASSES AND VARIETIES OF WHEAT 
Under the official wheat standards of the United States, wheat is 
now separated into five commercial classes as follows: (1) Hard red 
spring, (2) durum, (3) hard red winter, (4) soft red winter, and (5) 
white. Each of the classes has two or three subclasses, and each 
subclass has five numerical grades. All varieties, with the exception 
of White Polish and poulard wheats, are graded into one or another of 
the above-named classes unless the grain of the classes is mixed. 
The estimated acreage and percentage of the total wheat area 
occupied by each class in 1919 and 1924 are shown in Table 3. These 
acreages were determined by totaling the estimated acreages of the 
varieties in each class. The acreage of "others and not reported" 
was distributed among the five classes and the White Polish and Alaska 
varieties according to the proportions of each class. 
Table 3. — Estimated acreage and percentage of the total wheat area of the entire 
United States occupied by each of the Jive classes of wheat varieties in 1919 and 
Class 
1919 1 
19241 
Percentage of total wheat area occupied 
1919 
1924 
Decrease 
Increase 
Hard red spring .. . __ _ 
17, 641, 987 
4, 665, 650 
23, 328, 247 
21, 943, 133 
5, 321, 756 
11, 396, 140 
4, 195, 704 
21, 052, 848 
11, 216, 850 
3, 000, 250 
24.2 
6.4 
32.0 
30.1 
7.3 
22.4 
8.2 
41.4 
22.1 
5.9 
1.8 
Durum _ ._ 
1 8 
Hard red winter .. ._ ._ .__ 
9 4 
Soft red winter 
8.0 
1.4 
White 
Total 
72, 900, 773 
50, 861, 792 
100 
100 
i Polish and poulard wheats not included. 
The data for the two years show a decrease in the relative acreage 
of hard red spring, soft red winter, and white wheats, and a corre- 
sponding increase in the acreage of durum and hard red winter. 
Hard red winter continued to be the most important class in 1924, 
with 41.4 per cent of the total acreage; hard red spring was second 
with 22.4 per cent; soft red winter was third, with 22.1 per cent, 
durum was fourth, with 8.2 per cent, and white wheat was fifth, with 
5.9 per cent. Numerous varieties are included within each class 
which either have increased or decreased in importance during the 
5-year period 1919 to 1924. 
There are 252 recognized varieties of wheat which have been regis- 
tered. Many of these are known by several different names. In the 
Classification of American Wheat Varieties, published in 1922, by 
Clark, Martin, and Ball, 2 229 distinct wheat varieties were classified 
and described. The synonyms of these also were listed. Later 
through a cooperative agreement between the Bureau of Plant Indus- 
try and the American Society of Agronomy, these were registered as 
standard varieties, 3 and 23 new varieties, developed since the classi- 
fication was published, were also registered as improved varieties. 4 
2 Clark, J. A., Martin, J. H., and Ball, C. R. Op. cit. 
3 Clark, J. A., Love, H. H., and Gaines, E. F. Registration oe standard wheat varieties. 
Jour. Amer. Soc. Agron. 18 : 920-922. 1926. 
i Clark, J. A., Love, H. H., and Parker, J. H. Registration of improved wheat varieties. 
Jour. Amer. Soc. Agron. 18: 922-935. 1926. 
