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 betw r een 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 days 
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 Zy 2 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 
Oil in 
flask 
Weight 
of grain 
in flask 
Extin- 
guish the 
flame 
at— 
Grains: 
Wheat. 
C. c. 
150 
150 
150 
150 
150 
150 
150 
150 
150 
3 150 
• 3 150 
* 150 
U50 
3 150 
150 
250 
150 
150 
150 
200 
200 
4 150 
* 150 
Grams 
100 
100 
2 50 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
2 50 
3 50 
100 
100 
100 
2 50 
2 50 
2 50 
°C. 
180 
Shelled corn.. 
190 
Oats 
195 
Rye . 
175 
Grain sorghums. . . ... ....... . . ... . 
190 
Barley . ... . ... ... ..." 
190 
Buckwheat ... 
185 
Flaxseed .... 
175 
Emmer . ... 
190 
Head rice (milled) l . 
200 
Second head rice ! ... . . 
5 200 
Screenings rice ! 
« 200 
Brewers' rice l . 
6 200 
Brown rice. . .. 
190 
Rough rice 
190 
Other substances: 
Corncobs 
190 
Cottonseed... .. 
190 
Navy beans 
175 
Soy beans 
175 
Barley malt 
168 
Distillers' dried grains . ... .. . ... .. .. 
190 
Wheat flour .... . 
? 190 
Corn meal 
8 175 
1 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. 
2 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. 
3 Use glass-wool pad 2 inches in diameter and one-fourth inch thick in bottom of flask. 
4 Use double-wall copper flasks with 150 cubic centimeters of oil in the inner flask and 
150 cubic centimeters between the walls. 
5 Oil and grain in inner flask should reach a temperature of 200° C. in 28 to 30 minutes. 
6 Oil and grain in inner flask should reach a temperature of 200° C in about 26 minutes. 
7 Oil and flour in inner flask should reach a temperature of 190° C. in about 30 minutes. 
8 Oil and meal in inner flask should reach a temperature of 175° C. in about 26 minutes. 
