FIFTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART VI. 547 



minals mixing and drying aflfect values regardless of the intrinsic worth of 

 the grain and it is along these lines that the grain business assumes the 

 character of a profession and of which the successful grain merchant must 

 have some knowledge, otherwise his business is merely that of a freight 

 handler at a railroad station, and his income scarcely more than common 

 wages . 



The commercial grading and inspection of grain is one of the most diffi- 

 cult problems with which the grain trade has to contend, and in the absence 

 of a tehnical chemical test it becomes necessary to depend upon individual 

 judgment, based on certain rules regarding color, purity and dryness. 



Inspection rules of different markets are not uniform; the same named 

 grade may represent different qualities of grain in different markets, and 

 also different qualities in the same market in different years, a matter that is 

 Inconvenient and confusing to the trade. The National Grain Inspectors' 

 Association, in connection with the National Grain Dealers' Association, 

 have attempted to establish uniform grades for all markets, but it seems 

 hard to accomplish for various reasons. Grain inspection in Minnesota, 

 Illinois and Missouri is under State supervision, which is synonymous to 

 political supervision. A bill was presented to Congress during the last 

 session to provide for the establishment of Federal supervision of the inspec- 

 tion of grain, but was defeated. Government supervision is not considered 

 favorably by the grain trade and is not practical, because such a system 

 would be too unwieldy to meet the constantly changing conditions that arise 

 in the inspection of grain, besides being subject to political abuses. 



The following are the rules of the Illinois State Grain Inspection of corn, 

 to wit: 



No. 1 Yellow Corn— Shall be yellow, sound, drj, plump and well cleaned. 



No. 2 Yellow Corn— Shall be three- fourths yellow, dry, reasonably clean but not plump 

 enough for No. 1. 



No. 3 Yellow Corn— Shall be three-fourths yellow, reasonably dry and reasonably clean , 

 but not sufficiently sound for No. 2. 



No. 1 White Corn— Shall be sound, dry, plump and well cleaned. 



No. 2 White Corn— Shall be seven-eighths white, dry, reasonably clean, but not plump 

 enough for No. 1. 



No. 3 White Corn— Shall be seven-eighths white, reasonably dry and reasonably clean, 

 but not sufficiently sound for No. 2. 



No. 1 Corn— Shall be Mixed Corn, of choice quality, sound, dry and well cleaned. 



No. 3 Corn— Shall be Mixed Corn, dry and reasonably clean, but not good enough for 

 No. 1. 



No. 3 Corn— Shall be Mixed Corn, reasonably dry, and reasonably clean, but not 

 sufficiently sound for No. 2. 



No. 4 Corn— Corn that is badly damaged, damp or very dirty, shall be graded no higher 

 than No. 4. 



Corn that is wet or in heating conditions shall not be graded. 



You will note that there are three general divisions as to color, to wit: 

 White, yellow and mixed, and each of these are divided into grades, num- 

 bered one, two and three, in addition to which there is a grade of number 

 four applying to all damaged corn as stated. 



The grades number one white, number one yellow and number one 

 mixed are never used. 



The grades number two of white, yellow and mixed are the contract 

 grades already referred to, the only grades deliverable on future contracts 

 and may be called in a sense the speculative grades. 



