50 



IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF WHEAT. 



kernels fall, and the light kernels and small kernels are driven out. 

 The separation thus accomplished is somewhat different from that 

 effected by a solution, the difference being that the latter separates 

 the kernels entirely according to their specific gravities while with 

 the air blast a large kernel of a certain specific gravity might descend 

 with the heavy kernels, when if it were smaller, although of the same 

 specific gravity, it would be blown out. 



The number of light kernels that descend on account of their large 

 size is relatively small, owing to the fact that large kernels are, as a 

 rule, of higher specific gravity than small ones. The following test 

 was made to determine the relation between the size of wheat ker- 

 nels and their specific gravity. An average lot of wheat was nearly 

 equally divided by means of two sieves into three portions represent- 

 ing medium, small, and large kernels. Each of these portions was 

 then thrown upon solutions of the same specific gravity, and the pro- 

 portion by weight that floated, or light seed, and the proportion that 

 sank, or heavy seed, were determined. 



TABLE 2. Proportion of light and of heavy seed. 



The weight of light kernels among the small was nearly twice that 

 of light kernels among the large seeds. 



Analyses of samples of wheat separated by this machine into light 

 and heavy kernels gave about the same results as the samples sepa- 

 rated by solutions of certain specific gravities. 



TABLE 3. Analyses of large, heavy kernels and of small, light kernels. 



