198 FIELD CROPS 



little difference is made on the market between clean, bright 

 grain and that which contains considerable quantities of 

 chaff, dirt, and weed seeds, or is discolored. Usually this 

 difference is not enough to pay the farmer for cleaning his 

 grain, though it does justify him in demanding proper 

 separation and cleaning by the thrashing machine. The 

 market grades of oats depend on color, weight, and freedom 

 from dirt and discoloration. The commercial grades are 

 Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4, in white, mixed, and red or rustproof oats. 

 In white oats, a special grade known as " standard" is pro- 

 vided, ranking between No. 2 and No. 3. Most of the oats 

 sold on the market are of this grade or No. 3. Usually there 

 is a difference of 1 or 2 cents a bushel between any particular 

 grade and the one next below of the same color. White 

 oats ordinarily sell higher than mixed or red oats. Grades 

 are also provided for white and mixed clipped oats; grain 

 which comes under this classification has been run through a 

 machine which clips off the long tip of the hull. Clipped oats 

 weigh about 3 pounds to the bushel more than undipped oats 

 otherwise of the same grade. The legal weight of a bushel 

 of oats in most states is 32 pounds; in Canada it is 34 pounds. 

 The weight of a measured bushel is extremely variable, 

 ranging from as low as 20 pounds or less in unfavorable 

 years in the South, to 40 pounds or more in Montana, Wash- 

 ington, and other Northwestern states. 



240. Exports and Imports. Only about 2 per cent of the 

 oat crop is exported, and in some years the export trade 

 falls to almost nothing. Very small quantities are imported. 

 The imports usually consist of grain from Canada or northern 

 Europe for seed purposes, though importations have been 

 made from Argentina in seasons when there was an unusual 

 shortage of milling oats in this country. 



