THE DETERIORATION OF CORN IN STORAGE. 9 



feet below the surface, was 51° and 56^° F., respectively. The tem- 

 perature of the corn in the lower part of the bin varied from 39^° to 

 41^° F., as compared with a variation of from 36° to 40° F. at the 

 beginning of the experiment. 



The moisture content of the corn immediately at the surface was 

 14.95 per cent, or 3.35 per cent less than on February 17. The 

 moisture content of the 1,000 bushels at the top of the bin, exclusive 

 of the corn on the surface, was slightly higher than when the corn was 

 placed in the bin, showing that the deterioration of the corn was 

 resulting in the formation of more water than was being given off by 

 evaporation. The weight per bushel of the surface corn was 54 pounds, 

 while the weight of the remainder of the upper 1,000 bushels had 

 decreased from 53 to 51 pounds. 



The germination of the poorest corn from the top of the bin varied 

 from to 17 per cent, with an average of 10.3 per cent, as compared 

 with an average of 72.4 per cent on February 17. This corn was 

 damaged so that many of the germs were badly discolored. The 

 average germination of the 1,070 bushels taken from the top of the 

 bin for further experiment, which included not only the hot corn 

 but all that had a temperature over 50° F., was 42.6 per cent after 

 being handled, dried, and loaded into car No. 67031. 



The corn in the lower 45 feet of the bin, except 900 bushels of the 

 best quality which was loaded into car No. 75197 for further test, 

 after being handled over three elevators and dried to 14.87 per cent 

 of moisture, was given a grade of "Mixed corn." The germination 

 of this corn was 80.8 per cent at the beginning of the experiment, 71.4 

 per cent when drawn from the bin, and 81.4 per cent after being 

 handled and dried. 



The total loss in weight, as shown by the certificates furnished by 

 the weighman of the Chamber of Commerce, resulting from filling and 

 emptying the bin and the evaporation during the 69 days in storage, 

 amounted to 310 pounds, or slightly less than one-tenth of 1 per cent. 



DRIED DAMAGED CORN FROM TOP OF BIN STORED IN CAR. 



The 1,070 bushels of corn drawn from the top of the bin was 

 weighed, handled over three elevators, and reweighed, after which 

 it was artificially dried in a grain drier at a temperature varying from 

 151° to 163° F. The average moisture content of this corn as taken 

 from the bin was 18.64 per cent. The average moisture content 

 when emptied into the drier was 18.30 per cent, or a reduction of 

 0.34 of 1 per cent as a result of the handling, which is equivalent to 

 a loss in weight of 0.4 of 1 per cent." In drying, the moisture con- 



a Circular 32, Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, entitled "Mois- 

 ture Content and Shrinkage in Grain," explains why this difference exists and how it 

 is calculated. 



[Tir. 4.-!] 



