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9, BULLETIN 764, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
corn exported previous to the World War arrived in Europe in a 
heated, damaged, and spoiled condition. 
During the latter stages of the war the authorities who had control 
of the shipping of large amounts of corn to Europe took steps to 
insure that only such corn as would safely stand any voyage without 
spoiling was exported. Some of the requirements imposed were more 
strict than appear to be necessary under normal conditions, and, 
since such normal conditions will again obtain after the close of the 
war, the data presented in this bulletin will be of general interest to 
the export trade. 
The carrying qualities of export corn during shipment to Europe 
depend, for the most part on the moisture content and the quality 
and, condition of the corn as loaded, the length of the voyage, the 
season of the year during which shipped, the weather conditions 
during the shipment, and the position of stowage of the corn in the 
vessel. In order to determine the influence of each of these factors 
under varying conditions, eight representative cargoes of corn were 
accompanied from the United States to various European ports, and 
one additional cargo (cargo No. 5) was thoroughly sampled at the 
time of loading in America and again at the time of discharge in 
Europe.2. In the investigations covering the cargoes which were 
accompanied to Europe, observations and tests were made daily 
from the time the corn was put into the vessels until 1t was discharged 
in Kurope. During the loading of these cargoes, electrical resistance 
thermometers were placed at various definite positions in the corn. 
These thermometers were extended by “leads” to the deck of the 
ship so that they could be conveniently connected to a temperature 
indicator as illustrated in figure 2, thus-making it possible to obtain 
a record, of the changes in the temperature of the corn in the various 
positions of stowage. The temperatures were recorded each day 
that the weather permitted during the voyage. 
As the electrical-resistance thermometers were being placed in the 
corn, 3-quart samples were taken from the corn surrounding each 
thermometer, with which to determine the changes in the quality 
1 These data are given in U. S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry, Circular No. 55. 
This publication, of which J. D. Shanahan, C. E. Leighty, and the writer are the authors, is now out of 
print. Since the investigations reported in this bulletin are a continuation of those discussed in Circular 
No. 55, the subject matter discussed in that publication regarding moisture content as a factor influencing 
the carrying qualities of export corn, germination, and fermentation in export corn, the keeping qualities 
of export corn influenced by its position of stowage in the steamship, and the length of the voyage and season 
of the year when shipped in relation to the carrying qualities of corn has been freely used in this bulletin 
in the discussion of those factors. 
2 Cargoes Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 8 were accompanied to Europe by the writer; cargoes Nos. 4 and 9 were accom- 
panied by John H. Cox; cargo No. 6 was accompanied by Laurel Duval, and cargo No. 7 was accompanied 
by R. C. Miller, grain supervisors, formerly assistantsin grain standardization. Theinvestigations reported 
herein were made in the Office of Grain Standardization of the Bureau of Plant Industry under the direction 
of Dr. J. W. T. Duvel, crop technologist in charge. Since July 1, 1917, the grain standardization investiga- 
tions of the Department of Agriculture have been administered by the Bureau of Markets in connection 
with the enforcement of the United States grain standards Act. 
