Montana farmer-stockman. [volume], January 15, 1954, Image 1

About Montana farmer-stockman. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1947-1993

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
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W HAT is good wheat?
Simplest answer to that Is: It's the
kind of wheat we produce in Montana. It's
so good that it commands a substantial cash
premium over other wheats.
And what's good about it? Well, it's usu
ally high in protein and the premium prices
are paid on the basis of protein content. In
fact these premiums alone probably added
not less than $26,000,000 to the value of
Montana's record 1953 wheat crop of
than 114,000,000 bushels. And 1953 wasn't
an unusual year for protein either. Spring
wheat averaged about 14.6 per cent and
winter wheat 12.5 per cent. That's good but
no means a record. In 1947 the spring
wheat averaged 16 per cent and the winter
wheat 14 per cent.
But important and valuable as protein
is, it isn't the only reason why Montana
wheat is good. In fact it is quite possible
for a wheat that is high in protein to be
inferior in quality to one that is lower in
protein.
more
Comparative Analysis
Standard
Silver Tip Mont. Winter
61.5
12.00
Soft
60.5
.410
Very Poor
63 %
Poor
Poor
Poor
Poor
Type Characteristics
Test Weight
Protein (wheat)
Milling Characteristics
Yield (of flour)
Ash
Gluten Characteristics
Absorption
Mixing Tolerance
Fermentation Tolerance
Response to Oxidation
Response to Malt
Gassing Power
Loaf Volume
Loaf Grain and Texture
Loaf Symmetry
Wheat Evaluation
61.5
11.80
Good
66.25
.410
Good
66 %
Fair
Fair
Good
Good
420
378
2125
Coarse
Flat
Poor
2350
Normal
Good
Good
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This gluten record is poor. It is the record of a win
ter wheat that tested 12.7 per cent protein. The
markings are narrow and fall off rapidly, indicating
that if dough made from this flour were kneaded
Just a little too long the bubble-making capacity
would quickly fall off and the bread would be coarse.
S MONTANA AND NORTHERN WYOMING
Montana wheat is good for the simple
reason that it makes good bread. That's the
ultimate test of any wheat, but it is by no
means simple. In fact it is extremely com
plex. Protein content is only one of many
measures of a good bread wheat and Mon
tana wheat meets more of these measures
than most.
Because the qualities that make for a
good bread wheat are so complex, milling
companies maintain large laboratories to
test all shipments of wheat before they make
them into flour. How extensive these tests
are is indicated by the analysis on this page
comparing the qualities of a variety of win
ter wheat known as Silver Tip with those
of a standard or approved variety of winter
wheat.
The comparative analysis was made by
the laboratory of a Montana milling
pany. As a result of the analysis, the labora
tory reported these conclusions;
com
"This sample of the variety Silver Tip
is definitely inferior to our standard Mon
tana winter wheat. We have been unable to
trace its origin. It was raised by a group of
farmers near Danvers and apparently was
bi ought in from Canada. This variety has
the appearance and some characteristics of
Red Fife. If this sample was a true repre
sentative of this variety, we certainly want
to discourage its planting and the possibility
of its getting mixed (Please turn to nage 21
The three graphs reproduced below are the doodling*
of a Farinograph, the machine pictured at the right.
The machine measures the gluten quality of a. wheat,
one of the most important qualities needed for mak
ing good bread. A small amount of dough is placed
in the machine and kept at carefully controlled, con
stant temperature. The machine kneads the dough
and records on the chart the pressure required for
the kneading. The wider and the more nearly level
the markings are, the tougher and more elastic the
dough is, the more bubbles of gas from the yeast it
will hold and the lighter the bread will be. (Photos
and charts courtesy Montana Flour Mills Co. Labora
tory.)
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" This gluten record is good. It is the record of a win
ter wheat that tested 12.3 per cent, slightly lower
than the wheat recorded at the left. Note the mark
ings are wider, indicating greater elasticity, don't
fall off so rapidly. Thus the critical point of maxi
mum elasticity is more extended. Timing of knead
ing would not have to be so exact.
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Montana wheat is good because it makes good bread,
the ultimate test of any wheat. Pictured here is an
oven in a flour mill laboratory where loaves mad«
from tested samples of flour are baked under care
ful scientific controls. After running the gamut of
various chemical tests, the final test of any wheat
is the baking thereof.
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This is good gluten record of an average spring
wheat that tested 13.9 per cent protein. Again the
markings are wide and hold steadily at about the
same level for an extended period of time. This
wheat will make good bread.