28 BULLETIN 558, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
shrinkage of corn will vary from § to 20 per cent, depending upon ~ 
the moisture content at the time of harvest. With corn the greatest 
shrinkage occurs in the months of April and May. The loss by ro- 
dents and insects also must be considered, which in some cases, par-— 
ticularly with corn, frequently is relatively high. While the fire 
hazard is not great in farm storage houses, it 1s advisable to protect 
stored grain by insurance, particularly if the storage bins are con- 
nected with, or adjacent to, cther farm buildings. Other items that 
must be considered are convenience of marketing, condition of roads 
at time of delivery, cost of labor, interest on the money value of the 
grain held in storage, the price at harvest time, and the probable 
price at some future date. It is necessary also to consider the loss 
that may be incurred by grain going out of condition while in store. 
Small grains when damp are likely to become musty or bin-burned. 
When small grains with high moisture content are put in store it is 
necessary to “handle” them—that is, the grain must be turned fre- 
quently to prevent heating and decomposition. In the elevators this 
is accomplished by transferring the grain from one bin to another or 
by drying. Corn, when immature and having a high moisture con- 
tent, can not be stored safely even in the ear unless the crib is pro- 
vided with ample ventilation and even then the chances of loss may 
be great. Most terminal elevators and some country houses are 
equipped with driers, which reduce the moisture content to a point at 
which the grain may be stored safely. 
ESTIMATING PRORABLE FUTURE PRICES. 
It is impossible, of course, to anticipate, with any degree of ac- 
curacy, the probable market value of grain at some future date, since 
market values fluctuate in response to conditions over which no one 
has control. Moreover, the influences are world-wide in their scope, 
and the results frequently can not be anticipated. The only guide 
that may be considered is the average values of the several grains dur- 
ing each month of the year for a period extending over several years. 
As a general rule, prices are lower at harvest time and gradually in- 
crease to the period of hghter receipts at central markets and until 
the probable yield of the forthcoming crop can be estimated with some 
degree of accuracy. For a 10-year period the price of corn has shown 
an average increase of 10 cents per bushel from the lowest point 
(January) to the highest point (August). During the same period 
the average price of wheat has advanced about 12 cents per bushel 
from the lowest price (in August) to the highest point (in May), 
while oats show an average increase of 5 cents per bushel from the 
1 Burleson, W. L., and Allyn, O. M., Prices and shrinkage of farm grains, University 
of Illinois, Agricultural Experiment Station Bul. No. 183, 1915. 
