36 
Colorado Explrimlnt Station 
considerably and to a small extent the composition. In like manner, soil 
is one of the lesser factors affecting the composition of wheat. This is the 
opinion of Lawes and Gilbert, Hall, Wiley, and others; though, of course, 
a nitrogen-rich soil will yield a crop of a somewhat greater nitrogen con¬ 
tent than will a nitrogen poor soil.”* 
The conclusions reached in this? bulletin may be taken as reflect¬ 
ing the opinion of, at least, a very large percentage of our writers. 
They are formulated as follows: 
“Wheats of the same variety when grown in the same locality and un¬ 
der the same conditions are, therefore, seen to vary but little in composition 
although coming from seed differing widely in physical and chemical char¬ 
acteristics. These results are corroborative of Eckenbrecher’s work with 
barley and are entirely at variance with HalTs statement that each race or 
variety possessies qualities which arej modified only to a slight degree by 
seed, soil, or climate. Wheat of any one variety, from any one source and 
absolutely alike in chemical and physical characteristics, when grown in 
different localities, possessing different climatic conditions, yields crops of 
very widely different appearance and very different in chemical compo¬ 
sition. The results so far obtained would seem to indicate that the soil 
and seed play a relatively small part in influencing the composition of 
crops.”t 
These quotations from Le Clerc may be taken as fairly represen¬ 
tative of the views generally obtaining among our writers on this sub¬ 
ject. The terms climatic conditions and environment are not used with 
such definiteness that one can always tell just what is meant, in fact 
they are sometimes used as alternative expressions of climatic condi¬ 
tions or environment. Again, the latter term is used in a more com¬ 
prehensive sense, taking in rainfall, sunshine, temperature, winds, 
humidity of the air, soil, time of planting, cultivation, manuring, thick¬ 
ness of seedijng, previous crops, etc. 
I have deemed it wise to state these general views which are very 
commonly held by students of this subject. 
THE EFFECT OF CLIMATE ON COMPOSITION 
The explanation that I have offered for yellow-berry in wheat is 
not in harmony with the statements just made, nor are they in harmony 
with other explanations offered, which belong to several classes; for 
instance, the result of injury by fungi, unseasonable harvesting and ex¬ 
posure to the weather after cutting, to heredity or a '‘tendency’^ herit- 
• Bui. 128, Bureau of Chemistry, U. S. D. A., p. 9. 
t Bui. 128, Bureau of Chemistry, U. S, D. A., p. 18. 
