INSPECTION OF COMMERCIAL FEEDSTUFFS 67 



Federal Grain Standards — Corn and Oats 



While the Federal Government provides for standards of purity for many 

 cereal grains and seed, those of greatest interest to local agriculture are corn 

 and oats. Many purchasers of grain are not familiar with the standards for grain 

 which they purchase. 



Whole grains shipped to dealers in car lots may have a Federal Certificate of 

 Inspection attached to the bill of lading or the grain may be sold uninspected 

 under the general term of "sample grade." Where quality is questioned by the 

 prospective purchaser, the dealer should be asked to produce the certificate of 

 inspection and identify it with the grain offered. 



For some time corn and oats purchased by the State for its various State- 

 owned farms have been bought under specification and grade subject to inspection 

 by Regulatory Service at the Experiment Station and conclusions very largely 

 result from experience with this work. 



Corn 



The general definition for corn as found in the Federal Grain Standards is: — 

 "Corn shall be any grain which consists of 50 per cent or more of shelled corn 

 of the dent or flint varieties, and may contain not more than 10 per cent of other 

 grains for which standards have been established under the provisions of the 

 United States Grain Standards Act." 



Under the general definition classes and grades are provided by which corn is 

 generally sold. There are six grades for commercial corn. Those most commonly 

 offered in New England markets are Grades 1, 2, and 3. 



For the poultryman or dairyman, the No. 2 grade is probably the most desirable. 

 No. 1 is essentially a planting grade and Nos. 3, 4 and 5 have undesirable qualities 

 which make their purchase inadvisable. 



The requirements for Grade No. 2 are: — 



Test weight per bushel not less than . 

 Water not more than ..... 

 Cracked corn and foreign material not more than 

 Damaged kernels: 



Total ....... 



Heat damaged ...... 



Test weight per bushel. — Immature corn is light in weight especially if 

 dried down to conform to grade requirements in water content. Light corn seldom 

 finds its way into the local markets as whole grain and is probably ground into 

 meal where its true condition is more easily disguised. 



Water. — The amount of corn which loses its rating as No. 2 on account of 

 water content depends very largely on the season in which it is grown and more 

 especially on the time of year in which it is sold. Where corn is well matured on 

 the stalk before killing frosts, the water content is not a problem if the grain is 

 given an opportunity to cure in the crib before being offered. In years when 

 the old crop is well out of the market, it may be difficult to find new corn offered 

 in the late fall and early winter that will grade better than No. 3. Corn with a 

 high water content will not keep in warm storage without decomposition and 

 heating. With the large carry-over of corn for the past two years, water content 

 presents no great problem for the consumer. 



