THE BEOWN-DUVEL MOISTURE TESTER 
41 
DRAWING AND HANDLING SAMPLES 
The sampling of grain is not a part of the moisture test itself, but 
an accurate sample of the lot of grain to be tested is essential for 
correct moisture tests. To obtain a representative sample is some- 
times difficult, but the necessity of sparing no trouble in this respect 
is imperative for correct results. 
Grain in cars, elevator bins, cargoes, and other similar places is 
seldom uniform in moisture content throughout the quantity, and 
among other variations often shows less moisture at the surface 
than in the body of the grain. In the case of corn in cars, it is not 
uncommon to find differences of several per cent between the mois- 
ture content of the layer of corn immediately at the surface and that 
of the body of the grain directly beneath. In an experimental ship- 
ment of three lots of corn contained in a single bulkheaded railroad 
car in which special care was taken to see that each lot of grain was 
loaded uniformly throughout, moisture tests at destination, 15 clays 
after shipment, showed 14.1, 14.3, and 14.1 per cent, respectively, 
for the corn from the surface of each of the three lots, as compared 
with 17.3, 16.9, and 19.2 per cent, respectively, for the samples taken 
with a grain trier from the body of the grain 2 to 3% feet below 
the surface, the latter percentages being practically the same as at 
the time of shipment. 
Table 14. — Summary of specifications for testing grain and other substances 
Substance 
Grains: 
(Hard Red Winter, Hard Red Spring, Durum, and Red 
Wheatt Durum 150 100 180 
[Soft Red Winter and White 150 100 190 
Shelled corn 150 100 190 
Oats, Feed Oats and Mixed Feed Oats 150 100 195 
Rye 150 100 185 
Grain sorghums 150 100 195 
Barley __ 150 100 190 
Buckwheat 150 100 195 
Flaxseed 150 100 175 
Emmer 150 100 190 
Head rice (milled) 2 3150 100 200 
Second head rice 2 3 150 100 200 
Screenings rice 2 3150 100 200 
Brewers' rice 2 * 150 100 200 
Brownrice 2 3 150 100 200 
Roughrice 150 100 200 
Other substances: 
Corncobs 250 1 50 190 
Cottonseed 150 3 50 190 
Shelled peanuts 150 100 175 
Barley malt 200 100 168 
Distillers' dried grains 200 1 50 190 
Corn meal 
1 Use special graduate which is one-half the volume of the regular graduate. However, the regular 
graduate may be used by doubling the moisture-test reading. 
2 In making tests of these classes of rice the distillate is sometimes cloudy. This in no way affects the 
accuracy of the test and may be disregarded. 
3 Use glass-wool pad 3 inches in diameter and }A inch thick in bottom of flask. 
4 Use glass-wool pad 4 inches in diameter and }i inch thick in bottom of flask. 
5 Use double-wall copper flasks with 150 cubic centimeters of oil in the inner flask and 150 cubic centi- 
meters between the walls. 
6 Oil and meal in inner flask should reach a temperature of 175° C. in about 26 minutes. 
Oil in 
Weight 
flask 
of grain 
in flask 
C.c. 
Grams 
150 
100 
150 
100 
150 
100 
150 
100 
150 
100 
150 
100 
150 
100 
150 
100 
150 
100 
150 
100 
3 150 
100 
3 150 
100 
3 150 
100 
4 150 
100 
3 150 
100 
150 
100 
250 
150 
150 
350 
150 
100 
200 
100 
200 
150 
5 150 
1 50 
Extin- 
guish the 
flame at— 
