22 THE COMMERCIAL GRADING OF CORN. 



certain purposes of manufacture the high temperatures ordinarily used 

 have harmful results, it is quite practicable to use lower temperatures 

 for longer periods or to carry the principle already used still farther 

 and cool the air used for drying to a low temperature to precipitate 

 the excess of moisture it contains and subsequently warm it up enough 

 to make it absorb the excess moisture of the corn. 



However it may be done, it is evident that artificial drying of some 

 kind will inevitably be more generally used to prevent the enormous 

 losses now resulting from the excess moisture in corn. 



LOCAL AND SPECIAL GRADES. 



The development of commercial driers for corn and the specialization 

 in manufacturing cereal products suggests the advisability of keeping 

 in view the possible establishment of additional grades for local and 

 special purposes as needs for them arise. This is particularly impor- 

 tant in view of the remarkable work which has been done in improv- 

 ing varieties of corn, not only in increasing the yield per acre, but also 

 in improving the quality; in other words, increasing the percentage of 

 certain desirable constituents. The work that has been done in breed- 

 ing varieties of corn which have ;i high percentage of oil and others 

 with a low percentage of oil, and varieties with a high percentage of 

 protein, and others with a high percentage of starch, which means a 

 low percentage of protein, calls attention to the fact that it should be 

 possible for the growers of these improved varieties to get them to 

 those consumers who are willing to pay prices above the ordinary for 

 these extraordinary qualities. It should be the function of the grain 

 inspector to be able to recognize these special classes and to grade the 

 grain accordingly. 



It has been shown by Professor Hopkins, of the University of Illi- 

 nois, that it is possible to judge by observation with reasonable accu- 

 racy the merits of different lots of corn as to the amount of protein and 

 oil which they contain. He has shown that, since the oil of corn is 

 found almost entirely in the germ, the relative size of the germ gives 

 a fair indication of the oil content of the grain. Likewise in the mat- 

 ter of protein content, the hard portion of the corn kernel, that is, the 

 somewhat translucent portion outside the germ, contains practically all 

 the protein except the small amount in the germ. Therefore, the 

 larger the proportion of this hard part of the corn kernel the larger 

 the percentage of protein and consequently the smaller the percentage 

 of starch. Manufacturers of corn grits and meal, where a granular 

 product is desired, find that there is considerable variation in the relative 

 yields of these products from different sorts of corn. 



In PI. Ill is shown the striking difference that may be saen in dif- 

 ferent kernels of corn as to the proportion of the hard and starch} T 



