288 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT 01 AGRICULTURE, 



Transportation and storage investigations. — Good progress has 

 been made in determining the changes which took place in grain 

 while in transit or in storage, special attention having been given 

 to the rate and degree of deterioration and to shrinkage as intlu- 

 enced by moisture content, soundness, climatic conditions, etc. The 

 results of three special experimental shipments of four cars each 

 from Baltimore to Chicago and return show that there is an appre- 

 ciable "natural shrinkage" in corn during transit in cars, the 

 amount of shrinkage depending largely on the quality and condi- 

 tion of the grain and the temperature and humidity of the atmos- 

 phere. Similar results were also secured on several 500-bushel lots 

 of shelled corn stored in the hoppers of large elevator scales, the 

 grain in each case being held until it showed distinct signs of going 

 out of condition. Additional storage tests were likewise made with 

 several lots of grain representing different grades, the results almost 

 invariably showing that the rate of deterioration increases as mois- 

 ture content increases. Special attention was also given to American 

 export corn, five cargoes, representing more than a million bushels, 

 being accompanied to European ports, observations being made 

 during transit, with careful comparisons and analj^ses, to show the 

 relative condition of the corn at the time of loading and at the time 

 of discharge. Definite temperature records were also secured on two 

 additional cargoes, and samples were taken from numerous miscel- 

 laneous cargoes at the time of discharge in European ports. The 

 results of this work show that the condition of the grain at the time 

 of loading and the place of stowage on the ship are the principal 

 factors in determining the degree of deterioration. 



Grain handling and milling investigations. — In all of the out- 

 side laboratories a large number of samples Viave been analyzed for 

 the grain trade. Milling work in cooperation with the North Da- 

 kota Agricultural Experiment Station has been continued, and mill- 

 ing tests have been made on a large number of samples relating to 

 different classes, varieties, and commercial grades of wheat as a basis 

 for standard grades; also on samples containing various known quan- 

 tities of different kinds of damaged kernels and on samples contain- 

 ing known quantities of various kinds of weed seeds, known in 

 grading as " dockage," in order to determine the effect of these 

 mixtures on the relative values of the wheat. Considerable work has 

 been done to show the effect on grade and commercial value of farm 

 methods of harvesting and handling grain ; the handling and grading 

 of grain in both country and terminal markets have been studied ; 

 preliminary investigations have been carried on concerning the dry- 

 ing of corn in commercial driers, and the bleaching of low-grade oats 

 has been investigated and the results of the investigations published. 

 Preliminary work has been done to determine the fundamental 

 causes responsible for the deterioration of commercial grain, the 

 effect of biochemical changes which take place after harvesting and 

 during storage, and the changes in the chemical composition of grain 

 during deterioration. 



Plans for future work. — During the ensuing fiscal year work 

 will be carried on along similar lines and will be extended to include 

 the study of the methods of handling and grading wheat in the 

 States of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and California, 



