2 BULLETIN 374, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
COMPARATIVE VALUES ON A DRY-MATTER BASIS. 
Other things being equal, different lots of grain, cottonseed, flour, 
meal, etc., have an intrinsic value to the consumer, such as the live- 
stock feeder, the manufacturers of corn products, the cottonseed 
crusher, the miller of wheat, and the baker, in proportion to the 
amount of dry matter contained in each lot. The grain, cottonseed, 
and flour which contains the least moisture of course contains the 
greatest amount of dry matter (fig. 1) and not only has the highest 
intrinsic value on account of this high dry-matter content, but it is 
also of greater value because of its better keeping qualities while in 
storage. Enormous quantities of grain and cottonseed are severely 
damaged by molds and fermentation each year because they contain 
a moisture content that is too high for safe storage or transportation. 
As the moisture content increases, both the risk of spoilage and the 
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Tig. 1.— Diagram illustrating the amount of dry matter contained in five carloads of grain, cottonseed, 
etc., when these products test 20 per cent in moisture and when they test 12 per cent in moisture and 
showing that two-fifths of a carload more dry matter is present when the moisture test shows 12 per 
cent than when the test shows 20 per cent. 
damage from fermentation when these products spoil are accelerated 
with each additional per cent of moisture. 1 
The value of a low moisture content in grain has been recognized 
by the trade for many years, as is evidenced by the rules governing 
the grading of grain, which specified that- the grain to receive one of 
the higher grades must be " dry"; for a lower grade " reasonably dry" 
was sufficient, and the lowest grades allowed "damp" or "wet" 
grain. These quoted terms, of course, are very indefinite and allow 
too much elasticity in their interpretation by the various interested 
parties. In comparatively recent years these indefinite terms have 
been converted into definite percentages as applied to certain grades. 
The Grain Dealers' National Association was the first grain organ iza- 
tion to place the factor of moisture in the grading of grain on a per- 
centage basis. In 1906 this association adopted grade rules defining 
' For the results of experiments to determine the relation of different moisture contents to deterioration 
in corn, see Bureau of Plant Industry Circular 55, "American Export Corn (Maize) in Europe." by 
J. D. Shanahan, C E. Leighty, and E. G. Boerner; also U. S. Department of Agriculture Bulletin 48, 
entitled "The Shrinkage of Shelled Corn while in Cars in Transit," by J. W. T. Duvel and Laurel Duval. 
