TYPICAL CEREALS. 



COMPOSITION OF CEREALS EXAMINED FOR THE JUDGES OF 

 AWARDS AT THE WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION. 



By direction of the Secretary of Agriculture, the Division of Chem- 

 istry placed at the disposal of the authorities of the World's Columbian 

 Exposition the laboratory at Jackson Park, Chicago, for the purpose of 

 assisting in the determination of the value of food products in competi- 

 tion for awards. 



Early in July of 1893 the author was directed to take charge in person 

 of this work, and to assist the judges in their labors in every possible 

 way. For some reason the committee of jurors on cereal products 

 did not get to their work as promptly as was expected. Instead of 

 having the samples ready for analysis the latter part of July, it was 

 not until September that .the analytical work could be begun. The 

 number of samples, therefore, which could be examined was very much 

 less than had been expected. In addition to the regular force of the 

 Division of Chemistry detailed for the work, the valuable assistance of 

 oue of the jurors, Mr. Frank T. Shutt, chemist of the experimental 

 farms at Ottawa, Canada, was secured in the laboratory. 



On account of the late date at which the analytical work was coin- 

 menced,it was found impracticable to do the whole of it at the Chicago 

 laboratory. An arrangement was therefore made with the jurors to 

 use only certain data of the analyses in giving the awards. By this 

 arrangement the analyses were to be finished in the laboratory at Wash- 

 ington. The data which were submitted to the jurors, and which were 

 determined in the laboratory at Chicago, were the weight of 100 kernels, 

 the percentage of moisture, the percentage of albuminoids, and the per- 

 centage of ash 5 while the data which were obtained at the Washington 

 laboratory subsequently were the percentages of dry and wet gluten 

 in the wheat and wheat flours and the percentages of ether extract 

 and the fiber. The starches and other carbohydrates were calculated 

 in the usual way by difference. 



The methods of -analysis pursued were, with one or two minor 

 changes not affecting the results except in the way of securing more 



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