lO 
Colorado Experiment Station 
OBJECT OF INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE WHY 
WHEAT IS SOFT 
The object of our investigation has already been stated, 
namely, to discover, if possible, why our wheat is soft. The writers 
who have discussed the causes for the differences in the quality 
of wheats have agreed that the weather prevailing during the 
season, is the big factor in the problem, wet weather producing 
inferior wheat. We have just seen that there are reasons for this 
conclusion, but they do not hold good in our case, for our wheat 
has been considered as soft Avheat though the seasons are dry. 
We have sections in which the farmers grow soft wheat where 
the average annual rainfall is less than 12 inches, and the amount 
that falls during the life of a crop of spring wheat, say from 
108 to lv30 days, is insufficient to grow the crop, even if it should 
fall at the very best time in the case of each individual field, 
which is, of course, not possible. 
Some have claimed that irrigation produces soft wheat. If 
this were true, it would explain why our wheat has gotten the 
reputation of being soft, and would take the place of climate. 
We did not quite believe this in the beginning and have told in 
the preceding pages some of the facts that we have found in 
studving the effects of irrigation on the composition of the wheat 
plant and the grain produced. 
METHODS OF DETERMINING WHETHER WHEAT IS 
HARD OR SOFT 
We have repeated the assertion that our wheat is soft and 
that the flour made from it is not so good as flour made from 
harder wheat. It is a difficult matter to tell just what is meant 
by hard wheat and soft wheat. The people of the Kansas Experi¬ 
ment Station have suggested that we determine, by means of a 
proper machine, what weight it will take to crush an average 
grain of the wheat. If it takes less than a certain weight, they 
suggested that it be classed as soft; if it requires a greater weight 
than this, but less than another certain weight, they suggested that 
it be classed as medium: and the wheat requiring a still greater 
weight to crush it, should be classed as hard. This gives us a 
definite standard by which to judge, but it is a difficult matter to 
get the average grain of wheat. As a matter of fact we all apply 
this principle in a rough way when we crack grains of wheat 
between our teeth; if they crush with difficulty we say that the 
wheat is hard, if not, that it is soft and the judgment formed is} 
about right. 
