In this country wheat is not cultivated, that is, there is no cultivation of the soil after seeding. The soil is, however, plowed and harrowed before planting. In the winter wheat regions the harvesting is in the month of June, though in the southern localities it comes somewhat earlier and in the more northern localities may extend into July. In the spring wheat regions the harvesting is from the last of July to the middle or end of August. The statistics of wheat grown in the United States during 1906 are as follows:
Winter. Spring.
Acreage, 29,599,961 17,705,868
Yield per acre (bushels), 16.7 13.7
Total yield (bushels), 492,888,004 242,372,966
Total value at farm, $336,435,081 $153,897,679
Price per bushel (cents), 68.3 63.5
All the different varieties of wheat which are now known are cultivated. The simplest form, namely, the one grain wheat is the only one which grows wild, and the origin of the other varieties of wheat is unknown.
Botanists recognize three species, namely—Species 1, one grain wheat (Triticum monococcum Lam.); species 2, Polish wheat (Triticum polonicum L.); species 3, common wheat (Triticum sativum Lam.). All of these species are distinct, especially the third one, of which the most valuable variety is the common wheat, Triticum vulgare Vill.
The quality and properties of wheat depend more upon the environment in which it is grown than upon the species to which it belongs. There is perhaps no other field crop in which the environment, namely, condition of the soil, temperature, precipitation, etc., makes a greater difference than in wheat. In general, the environment and the species together produce two kinds of wheat as far as milling and bread making are concerned, namely, the soft or starchy wheat and the hard or glutinous wheat. In the first variety there is a larger percentage of starch in relation to the content or protein matter than in the second. Taking the wheat as a whole its average composition is shown in the following table:
Weight of 100 kernels, 3.85 grams
Moisture, 10.60 percent
Protein, 12.25 "
Ether extract, 1.75 "
Crude fiber, 2.40 "
Ash, 1.75 "
Carbohydrates other than crude fiber, 71.25 "
Dry gluten, 10.25 "
Moist gluten, 26.50 "
In regard to protein American wheat, as a rule, is quite equal to that of foreign origin. This is an important characteristic when it is remembered that both the milling and food value of a wheat depend largely upon the nitrogenous matter which is present. It must not be forgotten, however, that merely a good percentage of protein is not of itself a sure indication of the milling value
