B. P. I.— 521. 



THE DETERIORATION OF CORN IN STORAGE. 



INTRODUCTION. 



In February, 1909, special investigations were begun at Baltimore, 

 Mel., in cooperation with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, 

 for the purpose of obtaining defmite information regarding the dete- 

 rioration of shelled corn in elevator l)ins and in grain cars. The first 

 series of experiments in these mvestigations comprised tests with (1) 

 5,550 bushels of corn stored in a 65-foot elevator bin for 69 days, 

 until the corn at the top of the bin had become badly damaged; 

 (2) 900 bushels of dried damaged corn from the top of the bin loaded 

 into car No. 67031 and held on the track for an additional 37 days, 

 and (3) 900 bushels of the best cool corn from the same bin loaded 

 into car No. 75197 and held on the track with the car contaming the 

 dried damaged corn. 



In this preliminary report no attempt has been made to generalize 

 the results of the experiments, to draw^ any definite conclusions, or 

 even to give any extended expression of opinion. The aim has been 

 to outline the conditions under which this first series of experiments 

 was made and to give a brief summary of the results obtained, leaving 

 the individual reader to formulate his owti theories until the mvesti- 

 gations are more advanced. It is hoped, ho^^ever, that this prelim- 

 inary report will provoke discussion and bring about a better under- 

 standing of the purpose and value of investigations of this character. 



CORN STORED IN ELEVATOR BIN. 



On February 17 and 18, 1909, 5,550 bushels of shelled corn were 

 stored in a 65-foot bin '' in elevator C of the Baltimore and Ohio Rail- 

 road Company at Baltimore (Locust Point), Md. This corn was left 

 without "running" until April 27, 1909, at which time the fermen- 

 tation at the top of the bin had progressed so that the corn was hot 

 and sour, the temperature 8 inches below the surface having reached 

 133° F. 



a This opportunity is taken to acknowledge the cordial cooperation of the Baltimore 

 and Ohio Railroad Company and the Baltimore Chamber of Commerce, through its 

 grain-inspection department. Special thanks are due to the various men assigned 

 for duty at the elevator, who willingly rendered every possible assistance while these 

 experiments were in progress.— B. T. Gallow.a.y, Chief of Bureau. 



b The bin in which the corn was stored is near the center of the outer row of bins 

 on the east side of the elevator, the outer 6-inch wooden wall of the bin being built 

 against the heavy brick construction of the elevator. 



[Cir. 4:^] ^ 



