DRYING DAMP AND GAELICKY WHEAT. 3 



early as 1754 garlic was quite common in wheat in parts of Penn- 

 sylvania. 1 



The wild onion, or garlic {Allium vineale), is found in the Atlan- 

 tic coast region from Massachusetts to Georgia and as far inland 

 as Missouri (fig. 1), and in a large part of that territory it is the 

 worst weed pest. 2 



THE AMOUNT OF MOISTURE IN GARLIC BEFORE AND AFTER 



DRYING. 



Seven different lots of garlicky wheat, aggregating about 50,000 

 bushels, were followed through a commercial drier in order to note 

 the effect of the different operations on the garlic in the wheat. Sev- 

 eral samples of each lot of wheat were taken before going into and 

 after coming out of the 



Fig. 1.— Sketch map of the United States, showing 

 the distribution of the wild onion, or garlic. 



drier. The garlic was sep- 

 arated from each of these 

 samples and the moisture 

 content determined by dry- 

 ing to constant weight in 

 a water-bath oven. The 

 maximum amount of water 

 in the garlic before drying- 

 was 41.74 per cent and the 

 minimum 25.85 per cent, 

 while the average was 37.92 

 per cent. The maximum 

 amount of water found in the garlic after drying was 29.73 per 

 cent and the minimum 18.15 per cent, with an average of 23.41 

 per cent. The average reduction in the moisture content of the 

 garlic during the drying was 14.51 per cent. The average reduction 

 in the moisture content of the wheat was 5.1 per cent, the average 

 moisture of the wheat before drying being 13.9 per cent and after 

 drying 8.8 per cent. 



A great many of the garlic bulblets from the dried wheat were 

 found to contain considerable moisture after a severe drying, while 

 other bulblets from the same lot were shriveled and brittle. This 

 was caused in part, no doubt, by the fact that the hot air was not 

 equally distributed to every particle of wheat and garlic in the drier, 

 and probably also by the fact that the garlic was in different stages 

 of maturity, some of the bulblets when they went into the drier con- 

 taining much less moisture than others. 



1 Pipal, F. J. Wild garlic and its eradication. Ind. Agr. Eixp. Sta. Bui. 176, 43 p., 

 16 fig., 8 pi. 1914. 



2 See Cox, H. R., Wild onion : Methods of eradication, U. S. Dept. Agr., Farmers' Bui. 

 610, 8 p., 7 fig. 1914. 



