126 



THE WHEAT INDUSTRY 



Marketing through Elevator Companies. - -The sell- 

 ing plan followed generally in the more important 

 wheat regions of the United States and Canada 

 is through the elevator companies. The farmers 

 take their grain to the nearest town. There eleva- 

 tors have been 

 built alongside 

 the railroad 

 tracks. These 

 are so arranged 

 that the load can 

 be hauled into 

 the building, 

 weighed, and 

 then dumped 

 into a pit whence 

 bucket elevators 

 convey the grain 

 into storage bins 

 or cars . The 

 whole process of 

 weighing loaded 

 wagon, unload- 

 ing, and weigh- 

 ing empty wagon can be accomplished in four or 

 five minutes. The elevator is also provided with 

 a screening and fanning apparatus which removes 

 the dirt and chaff from the grain and thus improves 

 its market qualities. The storage capacities of 



FIG. 6t>. The elevator is a tall, towerlike 

 building. 



