Yeeeow-berry in Wheat 
21 
remaining 82 samples that contain less than 15 percent of affected 
kernels. In the harvest of 1899, 38 samples, the average number 
of glassy, flinty kernels was 51.4 percent (Max. 78, Min. 9), of 
mealy kernels 16.3 percent (Max. 64, Min. 2), of half mealy, 32.5 
percent (Max. 45, Min. 19) ; harvest of 1900, 53 samples, average 
mealiness 41.86 percent; 1901, 53 samples, 24.56 percent; 1902, 
average mealiness 44.85 percent; 1903, average mealiness 33.71 
percent; 1904, average mealiness 24.09 percent, and in 1905, 26.08 
percent mealiness. There were some samples in each year entirely 
free from this affection; in 1904 nine of the fifty-three samples, or 
17 percent, were entirely free from affected berries. This affection 
is also mentioned as occurring in Roumanian wheat. Thirty 
samples are given for each of the three years, 1900, 1901 and 1902. 
The average of affected kernels for the three years is slightly over 
91 percent. 
These data will certainly suffice to indicate that “yellow- 
berry” has a very wide distribution whether this condition is iden¬ 
tical with the starchiness of th^ Pacific coast wheat and all due to 
the same cause, which I think is the case, or not. That the same 
cause is operative in all cases seems probable, whether it is in Rou- 
rnania, California or Colorado. 
It seems to be customary to consider this mealiness as neces¬ 
sarily a sign of deterioration. I am not prepared to accept this 
view unreservedly. The term deteriorated wheat may at times be 
used advisedly, but it is very often used in a very loose, and in so 
general a signification as to mean nothing to the reader. The 
Pacific coast wheats are considered soft, weak wheats, this may be 
true and still it may be a question whether the starchy character of 
the wheat is indicative of deterioration. The Hungarian wheats 
are certainly considered among the very strongest wheats to be 
obtained and yet starchy and spotted berries make up a very con¬ 
siderable percentage of the average crop, in some few cases con¬ 
stituting the whole of some of the individual crops. Dr. Kosutany 
stoutly maintains that the Hungarian wheats have not deterio¬ 
rated, though such claim has been made. It seems to me very 
probable that they may always have had starchy and spotted ker¬ 
nels in their wheat, but this does not necessarily follow from any¬ 
thing that is stated. Whether starchy kernels are necessarily ker¬ 
nels of inferior quality or not, I do not know. It is evident that 
millers object to them and, at least, the more advanced of these 
millers base their judgment upon the result of baking tests so it 
seems that the quality of the gluten must be inferior. Its quantity 
in slightly affected kernels is not necessarily low; on the contrary, 
it may be nearly or quite as high as in wheats of high quality. 
