BUREAU OF MARKETS. 553 



putes involving grade on interstate shipments between noninspec- 

 tion points were referred to the Secretary of Agriculture. Advance 

 deposits to the extent of $26,199 were received in connection with 

 these appeals and disputes, of which $14,007 was covered into the 

 Treasury as miscellaneous receipts, $12,192 being returned in cases 

 where appeals were not sustained. In addition to the charges as- 

 sessed for the handling of appeals and disputes, $9,259.46 accruing 

 from the sale of grain samples was turned into the Treasury as mis- 

 cellaneous receipts. 



Close cooperation was maintained with the United States Grain 

 Corporation in carrying out the terms of the wheat price guaranty 

 Act. The inspection of practically all grain purchased or sold by 

 the Grain Corporation was carefully supervised, and large savings 

 to the Government were effected by insuring correct grading and 

 preventing loss through deterioration in transit and storage. 



Demonstrations in grain grading and grain grading schools were 

 held throughout the year. Thirty-four such demonstrations were 

 made at State fairs and IT at local fairs. At 305 meetings of grain 

 dealers and producers held in various places throughout the country 

 Federal grain supervisors explained methods of grading and inspec- 

 tion and the advantages to be derived therefrom. This work has 

 been attended bv excellent results. 



GRAIN INVESTIGATIONS. 



Investigations concerning grain standardization and grain han- 

 dling and transportation were supervised by Mr. E. G. Boerner. The 

 standardization of barley, rye, and the grain sorghums was given 

 careful consideration and during the past year the work progressed 

 to a point where tentative standards have been drawn up and are 

 being tested in experimental operation in the various field offices to 

 ascertain their applicability to the crops covered. 



Progress has been made in determining the extent to which the 

 milling and baking qualities of wheat are affected by admixtures of 

 various amounts of rye, oats, barley, and sorghum grains as well as 

 of objectionable foreign materials. 



The increased cost of materials and labor during the last few years 

 has caused the price of grain grading apparatus to advance to such 

 an extent that many grain dealers, especially country dealers, have 

 not felt justified in supplying themselves with apparatus of approved 

 standard design. To meet this condition steps were taken to simplify 

 the design of certain essential jjieces of apparatus and these efforts 

 were so successful that the cost of such articles has been reduced from 

 20 to 65 per cent. 



Progress has been made in the grain cleaning investigations by 

 developing methods of removing smut dust and dockage from wheat 

 and other small grains at the thrashing machine. An aspirator was 

 designed for attachment to the grain delivery spout and tests indi- 

 cate that approximately one-third of the material which ordinarily 

 is classed as dockage may be removed by this device. The use of this 

 device will enable farmers to keep for feed a part of the seeds and 

 other foreign material ordinarily hauled to the elevator and lost to 

 the producer; it also improves the quality of grain by removing 



24435— AGB 1920 .S6 



