The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-10-30
THE POSITION OF NORTH DAKOTA IN
PRODUCING HIGH QUALITY WHEAT

(By Harrison A. Bronson, formerly
Chief Justice. Supreme Court of
North Dakota.)
In the February, 1926, issue Of a
journal published by the American
Institute Of Baking, entitled "Bak-
ing Technology" there is an article
bv Gel l.. Alsharg. a celebrated re-
search expert Of Stanford Universit.
III la!iioln.l, entitled Our Future
Flour supply"
In this article he points out that
ito the average person wheat Is Just
wheat and flour just flour" but that
in fact this is far from the truth on
account Of the differences in wheat
and in flour. He proceeds to show
that for practical purposes wheat may
be divided into two great groups:
Hard Wheat and Soft Wheat.
The hardN wheat contains relatively
much gluten Tor protein) and gluten
Of special characteristics. From such
hard wheat flour may be produced
with which it is comparatively easy
to bake good bread.
Soft wheat, as compared with hard
wheat, contains relatively little glu-
ten 20 rprotcln) and usually a less
plastic gluten, and flour produced
from such soft wheat cannot 50 easily
be made into good bread.
Then he proceeds to point out tho
reasons why the housewife who
knows, and the bakers, want flour
with as much gluten Tor protein in
it as they can possibly get. Some of
these reasons are that such flour
yields the greatest number Of loaves
OF bread because more wafer is re-
quired to make dough Of the right
stiffness; besides less skill and care
is required to bake good bread from
such flour than from weak or soft
wheat because the time of fermenta-
ton for hard wheat flour may be
more varied and with less liability to
ruin the batch.
The Two Classes of Wheat
Then, he sets forth the fact, that,
in production, the position of the
two classes OF wheat, nard wheat and
soft wheat, is very different. Soft
wheat. generally speaking, can be
raised in any OF the wheat growing
Territory Of the United States, except
ing in the hard wheat states. Hard
wheat can be produced and raised on
~ in certain limited territory. Soft
wheat, both in territorial production
and volume Of production is plentl-
full. Soft. wheat forms considerably
the majority Of our wheat production.
Hard wheat, on the other hand, can
only he produced where the climate
is suitable. The territory where the
climate is suitable is definitely limit
ed. The research expert further
states that there are no great areas
with climate suitable for hard wheat
production now unu.ilized; that the
possibility of increasing the produc-
llOn of this sort OF wheat is Limited
to the possibility of increasing the
acreage and the Yields in those states
where the climate is suitable. Al
ready there is no shortage Of soft
wheat production. But in hard wheat
production the United States is short
Of producing within 200 million
bushels Of the total bushels of wheat
used for all purposes in our country
He further points out that as oul
population increases this discrepanc!
will increase for the reason thai
there is little prospect OF increasing
our hard wheat production but it !:
comparatively easy to increase GU
soft wheat production. This research
expert states that hard wheat Is pro
duccd chiefly in the States of Mime
sofa, Montana, Kansas and Colorado
ana HI parts of south Dakota an
Colorado.
Now, the reason may be seen
through the analysis of this exper'
why hard wheat is ordinarily highe
in price than soft wheat and why ;
hard wheat of high quality, such a
thigh protein or gluten content
commands premium, sometimes,
high premium even among har'
WneatS.
Further in the production OF har'
wheat there are two kinds; Har'
Spring Wheat and Hard White
wheat. Kansas and Colorado produce
Hard Winter wheat but not Har'
Spring Wheat. Colorado's production
Of wheat is not large, around Is t
I6 million bushels. Kansas is larg
producer Of wheat, averaging aroun
100 to $50 million bushels per year
But much of its wheat is soft winte
wnea.; not all Of it is hard white
wheat. Minnesota, North Dakota. an
Montana produce hard spring wheat
likewise South Dakoia's production
mostly spring wheat. Pursuant I
the estimates of the federal govern
ment. North Dakota in 1926 produced
about IL million bushels of wheat
Minnesota about 26 million; Montan
about 33 million and South Dakot
about 81 million. That is North Da
kota produced more wheat, with owe
% million bushels to spare, than MIN
nesota, Montana and South Dakot
combined.
Entitled to Premium
Thus do we see that North Dakota
not only produces hard sprinl
wheat that is entitled to comman
a premium over, or higher pric
than. soft wheat: but also produce
the majority Of all hard spring whea
raIsed in the States named, NOR
than all the other states combined.
Ahe Northwest claims, and justl
SO On its worth as reflected by value
in the market, that Hard Sprin
Wheat is the premier wheat of an
wheat in the United States, eve
superior to Hard Winter Wheat.
Thus does it appear that North Da
kota, among the States of the UnioT
commands leading position in pro
ducti0n Of wheat of quality and !
quantity production. And i follow
that if the field is limited for tn
production of such wheat, and tina
the demands for such wheat, as popu
lation increases, must likewise IN
crease, than the position OF Mort
Dakota can become none else tina
more commanding.
So, it would seem to be worthy 70
citizens, whether producers and rais
erx OF wheat. merchants. busines
men, employees, professional men, Q
otherwise, to direct our efforts an
attention to the problems that COZ
Germ the successful production
such wheat in this state, its handlin
and its marketing. since the prospe'
ity Of this great state OF, ours IS thu
so vitality concerned.
A Commanding Position
But North Dakota's position, thy