220 THE BOOK OF WHEAT 



and keen from long experience, the inspector looks for foreign 

 matter mixed with the wheat, examines the quality of the grain, 

 and smells for smut. Sometimes the cars are loaded fraudu- 

 lently by placing inferior wheat in portions of the car where the 

 cunning shipper imagines it will escape detection. Such cars 

 are said to be "plugged." The inspector thrusts a brass 

 plunger deep into the wheat in different portions of the car and 

 brings up samples for the purpose of discovering improper 

 loading. The elevator and commission houses have a sampling 

 bureau, representatives from which accompany the official in- 

 spector. The samples which they secure are marked with the 

 number and initials of the car from which they were taken. At 

 the opening of the chamber of commerce, these samples are set 

 out in pans, and form the basis of the day's trading. The state 

 secures complete records and samples of all cars inspected. 

 These are kept until the grain has passed out of the market, so 

 that any dispute as to the quality of the grain could be easily 

 settled.. After the inspector has finished his work, the cars are 

 resealed with the state seal. The wheat is rarely delayed more 

 than a day in the cars in which it arrives. 



Should an inspector make a slight error in judgment, it might 

 make a difference of a grade in wheat, and a gain or loss of $25 

 per car. In comparison with this, the cost of inspection is 

 nominal. If there is dissatisfaction with the inspector's de- 

 cision, appeal may be made to a state board which is especially 

 appointed to hear such complaints. Unless the grade of the 

 wheat is changed, the expense of the second inspection must 

 be borne by the objector. In 1889, 30 to 40 cars were inspected 

 in Minneapolis in an hour. A decade earlier 60 to 90 cars 

 could be inspected in an hour, because the wheat was cleaner. 

 The exporting of wheat from the interior of the United States 

 involves from three to six inspections of any given lot of grain. 

 At the six terminal points of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Duluth, 

 St. Paul, St. Cloud, New Prague and Sleepy Eye, 125,564 cars 

 of wheat were inspected "on arrival" during 1905, and for 

 the same year there were inspected "out of store" 59,963 

 cars, and 19,692,490 bushels shipped in vessels. Out of 11,009 

 appeals coming before the Board of Grain Appeals on all grain, 

 in 7,859 the decisions of the chief deputies were confirmed. 



