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Show 32 Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters The minerals of wheat during the past have not received the consideration given carbohydrates, fats, proteins and vitamins yet they are of importance to the producer as they represent .the fertility taken hom his soil and to the consumer as they are im portant factors in the nutritive value of the wheat products. The mineral con ten t of Utah grown w hea ts may vary 219 The factors governing this variation are fertility of the soil, variety of wheat, time of planting spring or fall and irriga tion water applied during the growing season. The addition of organic materials to a soil may cause a highly significant increase in the calcium content of wheat. This increase is sufficient to manifest itself in the flours milled from such wheat. per cent. Irrigation materially increases the sulfur of wheat and it has been shown that the increase is primarily the valuable organic sulfur. There is from three to five times as much phosphorus in some Utah grown wheats that there is in others. The high phos phorus compared with calcium is balanced where the legumes are used in the diet as Utah grown legumes, so far tested have been found to be high in calcium. Work so far done indicates that the thiamine content of dry farm wheat is higher than that of irrigated wheats. There is a wide variation in the iron and copper content of Utah grown wheats. There is a wide variation in the nature of the phosphorus occurring in wheat and wheat products. Often much of the phosphorus is in the form of phytin which is unavailable to man. However, considerable of this may be rendered available by fermentation with appropriate organisms. Some micro-organ isms on fermentation not only increase the thiamine content of Hour but also yield proteins of high biological value. Although rats kept on a diet consisting of 90 per cent of wheat made fair growth, the extent depending upon the wheat, yet rats did not grow where the diet was 90 per cent of oats. It is suggested that oats may contain some substance which encourages intestinal ulcers or what is more probably they lack some ulcer preventing factor. Wheats grown on highly fertile soil carry greater quantities of the essential nutrients than do wheats grown on poorer soils. The elements most likely to be lacking in soil are nitrogen and phosphorus. These should be maintained; the nitrogen from the atmosphere through the action of nitrogen-gathering bacteria and the phosphorus by the addition of mineral fertilizer. The farmer owes it to himself, the nation and future genera to maintain the fertility of his soil for upon it rests the proper nutrition of mankind. tions |
