A Study of Colorado Wheat 
29 
grain produced, further we have shown that irrigation produces no 
effect upon the composition of the grain; further that when the plants 
are kept continuously wet the percentage of nitrogen in the plant is 
depressed, but we were not able to follow this effect upon the com¬ 
position of the grain because of the development of rust, which ap¬ 
parently stops the transference of the material for the filling of the 
grain and causes shrinkage. In this connection we have shown that 
ripe grain is susceptible to the leaching action of water, giving up both 
nitrogen and potassium. We have not determined whether the com¬ 
position and baking properties of the flour are affected by such wash¬ 
ing or leaching or whether this effect is confined to the outer portions 
of the berry, or the bran. We have not considered any other portion 
of the berry than the flour produced and we find that the soil con¬ 
ditions produce distinctive characteristics of composition and proper¬ 
ties in the flour similar to those produced in the grain, which express 
themselves in the baking qualities of the flour and the characteristics 
of the loaf. 
MUCH DEPENDS ON THE MILLING OF WHEAT 
While our climate is undoubtedly favorable to the production of 
good wheat, as has been repeatedly pointed out by writers on this sub¬ 
ject, the quality of our wheat is after all determined by our soil con¬ 
ditions, especially by the relative supply of nitric nitrogen and potas¬ 
sium. The reputation of our flour has probably been earned by the 
general use of an inferior bread-making variety and the practice, es¬ 
pecially in the past, of planting wheat after wheat till the crop was all 
yellow or mealy. This reputation is no longer deserved. With our 
climate and proper soil conditions we can produce first quality wheat 
as well as big crops. The question of producing good flour from such 
wheat is one of milling and it is difficult to lay too much stress on this 
process. 
Through the courtesy of the Colorado Milling and Elevator Com¬ 
pany and especially of Mr. G. B. Irwin, the manager of its mill at this 
place, we are able to present the baking results obtained with flours 
produced by different mills which we may take as representative of 
our wheats and the flours produced from them. These results are 
presented in the table under the caption of “Baking Tests of Flours 
from Some Colorado Mills”. Some of these are straig'ht flours, others 
are various grades of patent flours from 50 to 70 percent and grading 
into straight flours. The results of such tests can be considered as 
the basis of just comparisons only when they have been made under the 
same conditions throughout. It would be wholly inadmissible to com¬ 
pare baking results obtained by myself with those obtained by a skil¬ 
ful baker even though he used the same brand of flour. This prin- 
