6 BULLETIN 522, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
All white wheats are conveniently grouped as western white, in 
accordance with the general practice throughout the country. Durum 
wheat receives the usual separate classification. 
WHEAT QUALITY. 
Before proceeding with a discussion of the results of this investiga- 
tion, some of the factors relating to milling quality will be considered. 
Accepting the proposition that the only sound basis for the deter- 
mination of the quality of wheat is by a consideration of its fitness 
for the manufacture of flour and by a study of the characteristics of 
the flour, special emphasis has been laid upon investigations involving 
milling ane baking tests. 
The. term “milling quality” has a varied meaning, and in speaking 
of wheat of high milling quality two millers may have very different 
standards in mind. Broadly speaking, any wheat which will yield a 
high percentage of white, sound flour is of good milling quality. 
But this definition holds only when wheat flour is considered as flour 
and it is not recognized that there is a remarkable variation in the 
characteristics of flour made from different types of wheat. The 
manufacturer of a cracker or pastry flour desires a wheat which is 
preferably low in protein, rather than glutinous, and he finds that 
the soft red or white wheats are well suited to his needs. In selecting 
he is chiefly concerned in securing wheat of these types that is 
plump and sound and that will yield a high percentage of white flour. 
On the other hand, a miller who is making what is primarily a 
bread flour desires a hard glutinous wheat, the flour from which has 
a combination of qualities that under the proper treatment will 
produce a large light loaf of bread of even porosity or texture. Such 
flour is said to be of high baking strength. Because of the demand 
made by the baker for “‘strong”’ flour, the miller is often willing to 
sacrifice a little on flour yield to secure wheat the flour from which 
has this desirable characteristic. Another desired flour quality from 
the bakers’ standpoint is water absorption, or the amount of water 
required by the flour to mix the dough to a standard consistency. 
Importance is attached to this, largely because of the relationship 
which is borne by this factor to yield of bread per unit of flour. 
To recapitulate, from the standpoint of the miller, a high-grade 
milling wheat for bread making must yield a high percentage of white 
(color) merchantable (sound) flour of high baking strength (oaf 
volume and texture), which is capable of giving a good yield of bread 
per unit of flour by virtue of its ability to absorb water and retain 
the same (water absorption) durmg baking. Hard spring and hard 
winter wheats are best suited for the production of flour of this kind, 
but, on the other hand, flour from these types of wheat is not so well 
adapted for the making of crackers or pastry products. 
