EXERCISE 46 



THE COMMERCIAL GRADING OF OATS 



Statement. In grading oats the matter may be considered from the standpoint of the miller, the 

 feeder, or the person who will sow the seed. In the score card on the opposite page emphasis is placed 



on those points which most affect the feeding value of 

 the grain. 



Object. To examine oats with reference to their 

 commercial value. 



Materials. A number of peck samples of oats and 

 a grain tester. (See Fig. 54.) 



Directions. Score samples in accordance with the 

 following score card and record all scores. Observe the 

 following points under each heading: 



Weight per bushel (35). A good sample weighing 32 

 pounds or more indicates that the grain is mature, well 

 filled, and does not contain a high percentage of hulls. 



Soundness (20) . Factors principally affecting soundness 

 are mold, smut, and sprouted kernels. 



Color (15). The color of the grain should be bright and 

 uniform. 



Purity (10). The sample should be free from other 

 grains, weed seed, chaff, and any other foreign matter. 



Per cent of hull (20). Good oats may test as high as 

 30 per cent of hull. 



The commercial grade of oats is determined by the 

 foregoing factors, although various states have rules 

 established by grain-inspection departments for deter- 

 mining the grades. Nearly all grading and inspection 

 of oats is in accordance with the rules adopted by the 

 Grain Dealers' National Association. The rules below 

 are those adopted by this association for the grading of 

 white oats : 



Fig. 56. A typical head of white spring oats (Swedish 

 select) 



No. i White Oats shall be white, dry, sweet, sound, bright, clean, free from other grain, and weigh not 

 less than 32 pounds to the measured bushel. 



No. 2 White Oats shall be 95 per cent white, dry, sweet ; shall contain no more than 1 per cent of dirt 

 and 1 per cent of other grain, and weigh not less than 29 pounds to the measured bushel. 



Standard White Oats shall be 92 per cent white, dry, sweet ; shall not contain more than 2 per cent of dirt 

 and 2 per cent of other grain, and weigh not less than 28 pounds to the measured bushel. 



No. 3 White Oats shall be sweet, 90 per cent white ; shall not contain more than 3 per cent of dirt and 

 5 per cent of other grain, and weigh not less than 24 pounds to the measured bushel. 



No. 4 White Oats shall be 90 per cent white ; may be damp, damaged, musty, or very dirty. 



Questions. If oats were being purchased for feed, which would be the more objectionable factor 

 under purity, the presence of chaff or the presence of other grains than oats ? Which would be the more 

 objectionable if the oats were being used for seed? 



References. Waters, H. J. Essentials of Agriculture, pp. 169-170. Ginn and Company. Hunt, T. F. 

 The Cereals in America, p. 313. Orange Judd Company. Lyon and Montgomery. Examining and Grading 

 Grains, pp. 51-66. Ginn and Company. 



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