14 BULLETIN 472, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
further description. In testing grain for weight per bushel, it is 
often essential to know the exact weight in fractions of a pound, 
and this is especially true in the grading of commercial grain, where 
the rules for the grades specify a minimum test weight which reads 
in half pounds. 
The special beam, graduated to read in tenths of a pound, was 
devised in order to make it possible to obtain reliable results reading 
in fractions of a pound. This special beam has two bars, one above 
the other, each of which has three lines of graduations. The first 
line on the lower bar reads in pounds per bushel, in divisions of 10 
pounds up to 60 pounds; the second line reads in pounds and ounces 
by one-half ounce divisions up to 2 pounds dead weight, and is used 
principally for determining “dockage” in grain; the third line 
reads in percentage of 2 pounds by 1 per cent divisions up to 100 
per cent. The first line of graduations on the upper bar reads in 
pounds and tenths of a pound up to 10 pounds per bushel; the second 
line reads in grams by 2-gram divisions up to 200 grams dead 
weight; and the third line reads in percentage of 200 grams by 1 per 
cent divisions up to 100 per cent. These last two lines of graduations 
will be found especially useful in the analysis of corn to determine 
what it should grade from the standpoint of damaged kernels or of 
foreign matter and finely broken corn. 
The poise on the lower bar is supplied with a set screw, so that it 
can be moved to any one of the 10-pound graduations and clamped 
in position to keep it from shifting while repeated weighings are 
being made on the upper beam. 
OPERATING THE TESTER. 
Place the tester on a solid table top or other firm base. Adjust 
the height of the funnel arm so that the opening in the bottom of 
the funnel is exactly 2 inches above the top of the test kettle. Place 
the test kettle on the metal plate over the grate and see that the over- 
flow pan is in place under the grate opening. Swing the hopper arm 
into the forward position until the projection extending backward 
is in contact with the guidepost, when the opening in the bottom 
of the funnel will be directly over the center of the test kettle. Close 
the valve in the outlet from the hopper and fill the hopper with the 
grain or seed to be tested. Open the valve wide with a quick motion 
and allow the grain to run through until the kettle overflows. Swing 
the hopper arm out of the way to the left. Strike the excess grain 
from the top of the test kettle with three zigzag motions of the spe- 
cial stroker, being careful that the sides of the stroker are held in a 
vertical position and that the kettle is not jarred during the opera- 
tion. Bring the beam arm with beam suspended into its forward 
