Smyrna times., 1921-11-02
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SEEK
WAY TO RID WHEAT Of GARLIC
ASK COOPERATION OF GROW.
ERS OF PENINSULA TO HELP
It's Effect on the Crop Over in Queen
Anne's County, Nd, Damaging
Way Cleaning and Better Prices

NAiie Nouhty, Md., damaging
Way Cleaning and Better Prices
During wheat threshing of the mast
summer, government officials obtain
ed samples of wheat in the State of
Maryland and Queen Anne's county
for the purpose of working out some
means of decreasing the garlic in
wheat which means such a large loss
to Queen Anne's county farmers. The
average garlic content of AT samples
OF Maryland wheat taken from wag-
ons, elevators, bins and mills was 40
bulblets to a pound. Millers were
unanimous in saying that the presence
of garlic greatly decreased the milling
value for a number of reasons, such
as the greater risks from spoilage, the
extra cleaning and preparation requir-
ed for milling, the lower flour yields,
the greater cost of manufacturing, and
the lower market value of the result
ant flour.
Garlic bulblets range in size from
that of kernel of wheat to that of a
pea seed. The specific gravity of The
bulblets is less than that of the wheat
kernel, though it varies with the sea-
son and with the weather conditions.
The bulblets are heaviest at harvest
time, as later the moisture evaporates
and they lose weight. The greater
risk of spoilage in garlicky wheat is
due to the Preventative of germina-
tive action in wheat started by the alb
sorption of moisture from the garlic
bulblets. As this is a slow process,
the danger of spOilage is slight where
grain is handled or moved frequently.
None of the special cleaners for re-
moving the garlic is entirely satisfac-
tory. Some of them remove too small
a part OF the garlic, and some remove
too much wheat when removing the
garlic. 1t was noted that the condi-
ton of the bulblets had more of an eff
feet on the resulting odor than the
number of bulblets. Those full of
juice cOntaminate the flour more readi-
ly than other ones.
One of the serious results of the
presence of garlic in wheat is the clog
ging of the corrugations of the rolls
in the mills so that they cannot func-
tion properly. Under such conditions
1t is sometimes necessary for the mills
to Shut down two or three times day
In order to scrape and wash the rolls.
This slows up the work, reduces the
output and increases the cost of pro-
duction per unit. There is little de-
mand for flour made from garlickv
wheat, therefore mills have to discount
it when it is sold from 25 cents to 81
a bushel. 1t is used chiefly for blend
ing with sweet fours.
The difficulties of removing garlic
bulblets from wheat suggest the i'm
portance of its eradication from the
fields whenever this is possible.
Wild garlic forms two kinds of un.
derground bulbs = soft-shelled anC
hard-shelled. This fact has been usec
as a basis for the recommendation Of
the Department of Agriculture for its
eradication. The soft-shelled bulb.
germinate in the late summer or fall
while the hard-shelled bulbs form new
plants the following season. Late fal
plowing is recommended to destroy
the plants from the sofe-shelled bulb:
before they have had a chance to form
new bulbs.
The fields should be planted to z
titled crop the following spring. ANY
crop so planted should be carefully
titled preferably with the knife o.
sweep type of implement. This will
destroy the plants arising from tn.
hard-shelled bulbs. AS the hard bulb
last two years it will be necessary t
repeat fall plowing followed by anoth
er titled crop. Rye may be sown af
ter the late fall plowing and turnec
under the green manure the followin,
spring. Great care should also b.
used in buying and selecting wheat fo
seed to make sure that it is not con
taminated.
Many farmers make a practice o
throwing weeds of various sorts ou
of the bundles at the time of shocking
wheat. 1t has been found that if tn
entire product of the field is remove
from the land at harvest time, grea
care taken in planting only seed tina
is free from garlic and other weeds
and proper crop rotation practice
considerable progress in garlic erad
z cation can be made within few year.
1t is believed by department official
that if this is done it will be possibl
> in time to eliminate, or at least great