Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1905-10-26
BLUE STEM AND DURUM
Comparison of Food Values in the
Above Wheats by Superintendent
of Dickinson Experiment Station.

| CueulSU, fIOleSSOF OuepdIu. w ulle
far from giving the last word concern
ing Durum wheat, yet the investiga-
tion yields many interesting facts.
An important fact which must be
kept in view is that there are large
number of varieties Of Durum wheats,
varying much in appearance and quail
ity and coming originally from widely
different countries. They form a
group by themselves in the same way
that Fife, Bluestem, Clawson, Fultz
and other varieties of the common
wheats form a group by themselves.
1t is well known that bread made from
Pacific coast winter wheat will have a
different quality than that made from
Saskatchewan Fife. 1t is not we'll
known, however, that enough differ
ence exists between any two varieties
of Durum wheat to make loaves differ
ing widely in quality. But such is
the case.
Prof. Shepard experimental with
about 30 varieties Of Durum wheat,
nearly all of which were grown at
Highmore, central South Dakota. AS
a check, he also experimental with
few standard varieties Of common
wheat. Most Of the Durum wheats
used came originally from Russia,
several came from Algeria and few
were scattering.
Milling tests were conducted with
all Of the wheats, and though the mill
ing was done on a small scale, yet
similar treatment was given to all
and the results are exactly compar-
able. Without going into details, it
will be sufficient to say that one varl-
ETY. Of Durum wheat, Kutanka No.
5639, yielded Is per cent Of flour against
68 per cent from either Fife or Blue
stem. In regard to color of flour, that
from the Durum wheat mentioned
contained .O5 parts more yellow and
orange than the -four from either Fife
or Bluestem.
The amount of protein or gluten in
flour makes that substance particular
ly valuable as food. Graham flour
and whole wheat flour are considered
nutritious because of the greater
amount of protein the, contain. In
100 lbs Of -four from Kubanka wheat
No. $500, there were found IL lbs of
protein as against lbs. in flour made
from either Fife or Blue-stem. The
bran from the latter wheats was rich
er in protein than the bran from
Kubanka wheat.
1t was found that certain amount
Of -four from Fife or Blue-stem wheat
produced about one-ffth more bread
sponge than the same amount of flour
from the Kubanka wheat. However.
as the flour from the Macaroni wheats
contains more gluten, which is the
! origin of the sponge, the better quail
ity of the gluten from the common
wheat flour is thus Offset. 1t is due to
the sticky, tenacious gluten in wheat
flour that bread sponge made from it
, is enabled to "raise" when the dough
is permeated with gas.
! The conclusive test in the lnvesti-
CATION of any kind Of -four is, OF
course, the kind of loaf it makes
Loaves were made of each of the kinds
of flours studied. No guess work was
allowed to enter into the making OF
the loaves. They were all made ex-
actly alike; each ingredient was &C"
curately weighed, down to the small
fraction of an ounce. The loaves made
from the Durum wheat were the
heaviest, while those made from the
common wheat were the largest, the
variation being slight. In regard tc
the color Of the loaf, that made from
the Blue-stem wheat, contained one
tenth part more orange and the same
! amount of yellow as did the loaf made
from Kabanka No. 5639. The Fife
loaf contained five-hundredths less
orange and two-tenths less yellow than
the Kubanka loaf.
The quality of the loaf was based
upon the color, flavor, texture, etc.
/ The loaf made from Kubanka No
$500 was ranked 100 in quality, that
from Bluestem 80 and the loaf IL ade
from Fife ranked 95. That is, in the
opinion of Prof. Shepard and his CO
!. workers, the loaf made from the Ku-
/, banka wheat was really superior jn
quality to the loaf made either from
the Fife or the Blue-stem. OF course
the pessonal equation enters to some
extent in determining the quality, but
probably no one would accuse Prof.
Shepard Of being prejddiced in the
matter.