LOCAL TRANSPORTATION AND STORAGE 95 



the elevator causes the platform to resume its 

 horizontal position and become locked, leaving it 

 ready for the next load. The grain in the lower 

 bin is then removed by means of endless bucket 

 elevators to upper bins or into railroad cars 

 near by. In this way a large quantity of grain 

 can be cared for in a very short time and with very 

 little labor. 



Because of the uncertainty in the condition of 

 the roads at a time when the farmer may wish to 

 sell, he sometimes arranges to haul his grain 

 directly from thresher to elevator and store it 

 there rather than to make immediate sale. In 

 such case he pays storage on his wheat and, of 

 course, depends on increased price to reimburse 

 him for the amount of storage paid, as well as to 

 pay interest on the money tied up in the wheat. 

 There is an apparent advantage in this arrange- 

 ment since the wheat is weighed at time of delivery 

 and the owner avoids the loss due to shrinkage. 

 When it is stored on the farm the owner must 

 stand this loss directly. Storage charges usually 

 take this into consideration, however, so that the 

 gain is more apparent than real. 



Local elevators usually have a very limited 

 capacity for storage. The desirability of accom- 

 modating all customers has led to a practice 

 sometimes resorted to of shipping the wheat to 

 storehouses in large centers. Thus, it has been 



