MARKETING WHEAT 159 



sweating process; that is, it warms up slightly, becomes 

 moist, and the straw gets tough and remains so for two to 

 three weeks. Wheat is believed to have a slightly better 

 color if allowed to go through this sweating process in the 

 stack. Many people prefer to stack their wheat before it is 

 thrashed on this account. 



196. Storing. Wheat may be satisfactorily stored in any 

 bin or room that will protect it from rain, if it is dry when 

 stored. If wheat is thrashed soon after it is cut, it will 

 sweat in the bin, and in that condition it is not safe to put 

 large quantities of the grain in one place, for it is likely to 

 heat and be injured in quality. After grain has been stacked 

 for three or four weeks, it has then gone through this " sweat," 

 and may be safely stored in large bins. 



MARKETING AND MARKET GRADES 



197. Marketing. The usual practice is to market the 

 crop soon after it is thrashed. Farmers occasionally hold 

 their wheat for several months with a view to getting better 

 prices, but the practice as a rule does not prove profitable. 

 It is of necessity a great deal of a gambling problem, because 

 no one can tell what the price of wheat may be in the future. 

 There is considerable shrinkage in wheat in storage, for it 

 loses some moisture, and there is also some mechanical loss 

 due to mice, leakage, etc. Another loss from holding is the 

 loss of the earning power of the money represented by the 

 value of the wheat. If one is to figure on the shrinkage by 

 loss of moisture, the mechanical loss, and the interest on 

 the money tied up in the wheat, he will lose more times by 

 holding than he will gain. 



