MAGIC OF THE MIXING-HOUSE 



left on hand. Of No. 1 Northern they had 

 received 15,571,575 bushels, had shipped out 

 19,976,777 bushels, and had 114,454 bushels 

 on hand. Of No. 2 they had received 

 20,413,584 bushels, had shipped out 22,242,410 

 bushels, and had 51,864 bushels on hand. The 

 report showed a total transformation of 6,091,- 

 129 bushels of low-grade wheat into wheat of 

 higher gradings. It did not explain the secret 

 of this magic, and had no need to explain it; 

 affidavits could not have made it clearer or 

 more certain. The elevator operators took 

 certain quantities of No. 1 Hard, and mixed 

 it with 4,000,000 bushels of low-grade wheat 

 and called the mixture No. 1 Northern; and 

 certain other quantities of No. 1 Hard, 1 and 

 mixed that with about 1,500,000 of still 

 lower grades and called that hash No. 2. 



By this hocus-pocus not only was its value 

 raised to the great profit of the mixers, but 

 all this wheat was now made available for 

 the filling of contracts in future tradings, 

 a matter of vital importance to those carry- 

 ing heavy speculations on the gambling side 

 of the market. 



As to which was the chief loser, the farmer 

 or the buyer, in these extraordinary trans- 

 actions at the elevators, we have plain enough 



1 Not more than 310,110 bushels of No. 1 Hard could have been 

 involved in both of these transactions; a comparatively insignifi- 

 cant amount. 



55 



