Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-01-28
WHEAT BREEDING Fer
YIELD AND QUALITY
improvement Work at the
Aroostook Experiment Farm
Choice of Wheat Varieties
for Seed in Aroost0ok
County-Means Flour Of
Good Quality.

/ Good Quality.
/ O-o-o. Me- jan e--The follow
ing was issued today from the Of
dca of Charles D Woods director
Of the Maine agricultural expert
tnen1 staten a. the University Of
Maine:
/ Aroos-ook County has 2 climate
ithat gives q good y5s,d g whea, Per
acre /, has enough roller mills 70
make all the fo.r tie people Of
A-oos1ook can eat He- with TIE sin
gle exception O. TIE year 1915 when
under var conditions there was
large acreage TIE County does not
grow enough wheat for il. farm
homes While A1cos,ook grown
Ehea, IS plump and fine appearing j.
I does 10. make four that makes a
large light loaf Much Of tie A-oos-
took grown wheat is blended when
ml!ei with imported wheat to in
prove its brad making qualities
When ssei wheat Is brought n from
. the heS- wheat growing sections Of
.he couar-. because CT the Eo5s. cool
climate il tends 20 lose its din.iness
and god quality gluten and yields
four Of inferior quality AS ARGOS
took wheat chiefly hack il brad
making quality the Maine Agricul-
1ural Experiment Station undertook
definite wheat breeding work AZ
Aroostock Farm with the purpose 10
develop whes. strains that would
successfully resist the climatic condi.-
tons and make good quality -four
! Quality in wheat Is complex !,
comprises two distinct values. VIZ.
the milling quality and the bread
making value OF the baking strength
The milling quality Is measured By
the four yield or the amount of
four produced t-on a given weigh.
@: wheat The brad making quail
i-y Is ti1e capacity Of Z wheat &c
produce Z large well piled loaf OF
bread OF good color. texture. and
eating quality Il is along these lines
TIA. the Station seeks 10 improve
-A-oos.cok vheats
The methods used in the Stations
fas OF selection Of pure strains OF
lines ont Of commercial varieties
and fhg on breeding new strains b.
crossing Not time enough has
elapsed 20 have produced rev strains
from CROSSES The crop improve
menr b. the method OF pure line Sc
lection Is n principle the same as
The more generally known method Of
hill selection as applied in the i'm
DroYement Of the potato crop II
1915 several hundred individual
plants were selected fron CONNER
c-ai whe4, varieties representing the
chief groups OF spring wheat: Fife
Blues1ern. Preston and Marquis
About 80 plants were retained from
the original selections and each
planted separately in q 1ow in the
cereal crap nursery at Aroozeook
Farm
/. The last word in the quality Of
What is decided By the 7. Hing and
baking tests Bur chemical ex-
animation is indicative Of quality.
Until 2 pound O. more OF new
wheat has been produced tbs milling
and baking tests cannot b. Ell p,oved
The hundreds Of the original selec-
tons were reduced in 1913 10 about
% as they fell short by ch-nicai
test Th;rty-three Of the most FROM
is:ng Of these and the progeny Of
pure strains introduced from M,cne-
sofa were subjected TO milling ,ss-s
through the courtesy Of the PusseT-
Miller Milling Company. Minaeapolfs
and 20 baking tests il the laborato-,
Of the Ward Baking Company Of
New York
Although this work has Only Jus,
begun certain interesting and impo--
tant results have been obtained
From the study q these pure strain.
Ct wheat in the field. from the chem
ical analyses. ard from the milling
and baking tests the important fac,
IS brought out tina, under the same
conditions of environment. some
strains Of wheat will retain a hishe,
degree of hardness produce a larger
yield Of -four. a higher amount and
better quality Of gluten. and q larger
size Of bread ioaves than Others.
number Of these selected strain.
possess high protein content, yield
gluten Of good quality. and produce
good sized bread lcayes Of exceIler,
eating qualities Some OF the strain.
I introduced from Minnesota retained
their high protein. good quality OF
gluten and baking strength while
others showed marked de:er;ora.
/ ton.
| The Stations breeding work wifi
wheat at Aroostook Farm has dem
onstrared that the quality Of Aroos-
took wheats can be materially in
proved by the method Of pure ,ins
selection They show. further. tia,
! once strong strains are selected ,hex
VIII tend TO retain their relative
strength regardless OF seasona, "a.
. riations in environment. The "a.
suits clearly indicate tina. strains Of
wheat are being developed whereby
Aroostook County can raise it's own
HOUR Of good quality And that i,
VIII not be long that the question Of
quality in wheat will stand in the
way OF larger extension OF whea.
growing in Aroostook County.
These studies also throw light unon
the selection OF seed at the presen,
time and before these superio,
strains are developed in sufficien;
quantity for distribution. In general
local varieties of known performance
in regard 10 milling ard baking Quail
ity are TO be preferred 10 imported