THE TEST WEIGHT OF GRAIN. 15 



position. After hooking the test kettle to the short arm of the spe- 

 cial scalebeam, the poise on the lower beam must be placed at one 

 of the graduations showing a weight lower than the sample is ex- 

 pected to weigh and the operation is completed by moving the poise 

 on the upper bar to a point necessary to make the beam balance. 

 For instance, wheat usually tests between 50 and 60 pounds per 

 bushel, so that when testing wheat the poise on the lower bar would 

 ordinarily be set at 50 pounds and the weight determined by moving 

 the poise on the upper bar to the necessary position to make the 

 beam balance ; if this point should happen to be 7.3 pounds, the test 

 weight of the sample would be 57.3 pounds (50 pounds plus 7.3 

 pounds) . 



In testing for weight per bushel of other grains, the poise on the 

 lower bar would ordinarily be set at 30 pounds for oats; at 40 for 

 barley, buckwheat, and rough rice; and at 50 for rye, corn, kafir, 

 milo, feterita, and flaxseed. If the ordinary beam is used instead 

 of the special beam, then the weighing should be done in the 

 usual manner, except that the beam should be suspended from the 

 hook of the upper arm instead of being held by hand. Great care 

 must always be exercised that the beam which is especially adjusted 

 to the particular test kettle with which the test is made be used and 

 that when either the test kettle and ordinary beam or test kettle and 

 special beam are used, the beam must at all times be in balance when 

 the poise or poises, as the case may be, are in zero position. 



STANDARD METHOD OF MAKING THE TEST. 



The conditions given in the method described below have been 

 found to be most essential in making uniform tests of weight per 

 bushel and obtaining accurate results and have been adopted as 

 standard in connection with Grain Standardization Investigations: 



(1) Have an accurate grain tester. 



(2) Fill the test kettle from a hopper — 



(a) having an opening 1£ inches in diameter at its base, 



(b) firmly supported 2 inches above the test kettle. 



(3) Have the test kettle rest on a firm base. 



■(4) Fill the kettle each time with the same amount of overflow. 



(5) Strike the excess grain from the top of the overflowing kettle in a uniform 



manner with three zigzag motions with the sides of the special stroker 

 held vertically, avoiding meanwhile any jarring of the contents. 



(6) Make the weighings on a beam accurately graduated to read in fractions 



of a pound. 



WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OB'FICE : 1916 



