HARVESTING AND STORAGE 



483 



of bisulphide of carbon, 1 to 1+ lbs. bisulphide to 2,000 lbs. CHAP. 



XI. 

 gram. 



" Reckoning everything, it may be said that 10s. per muid 

 at harvest time is equal to lis. id. per muid in five months. 

 In a general way it may be considered that there would have 

 to be a rise of 7-i percent in three months, 9^ per cent in four 

 months, and 1 1 per cent in five months, in the selling price of 

 mealies, in order that there should be no loss in the money 

 value. Anything over and above these prices would be a gain. 

 Thus there would be a 

 decided gain if mealies, in- 

 stead of being sold at 10s. 

 per muid at harvest time, 

 were sold at I 2s. five months 

 later" {Pearson in N.A.J'.). 



456. Variation in Mois- 

 ture-content is not Identical 

 with Loss or Gain in Weight 

 Due to Change in Moisture- 

 content. — Loss in weight clue 

 to the drying of maize 

 always exceeds the per- 

 centage reduction in mois- 

 ture, because only part of 

 the moisture is lost in or- 

 dinary drying, and the 

 second percentage of mois- 

 ture is determined on the 

 reduced total weight in- 





stead of on the origina 



Fig. 181. — Native method of storing maize 

 in the husk, in trees, Swaziland. 



weight. The original per- 

 centage was determined on the dry material, plus a certain 

 amount of moisture ; after the loss of part of this moisture 

 the percentage is again determined, but this time on a new 

 basis, i.e. that of the net weight of dry grain, plus the balance 

 of moisture. Therefore the variation in moisture-content is 

 not identical with the loss or gain in weight. 



For example, 100 lbs. of maize containing 25 per cent 

 free water is dried out till it weighs only 85 lbs. ; after losing 



1 5 per cent moisture by drying out, the percentage of moisture 



3I * 



