88 THE WHEAT INDUSTRY 



local shipment in less than carload lots. Also 

 where grain-tight bins cannot readily be pro- 

 vided, the sacked wheat presents less difficulty 

 in storage and handling than does the loose 

 grain. 



In the Northwest, the sacked wheat is in favor 

 because of the export trade. This trade, though 

 important, has not caused the establishment of 

 great terminal facilities which are equipped for 

 handling loose grain. Such facilities have been 

 provided for Eastern markets. 



Local Storage. - - After the wheat is threshed it 

 may either be sold at once or held for a time by 

 the producer in what is known as local or farm 

 storage. Thus the time of disposal of the wheat 

 is closely related to the stage of development of a 

 country, to the quantities produced, and to the 

 relative importance of the wheat crop compared 

 with other farm products. The great wheat dis- 

 tricts of the High Plains, of the Pacific Northwest, 

 and of Canada are regions of recent development. 

 The land is still new, crops are large, but facilities 

 for handling them are meager. Other possible 

 sources of income not having been developed to 

 any great extent, wheat is by far the most impor- 

 tant crop. These combined factors cause the 

 wheat to be marketed as soon as threshed and 

 there is relatively but little local storage. The 

 farmer sells his wheat because he has a large 



