4 BULLETIN 48, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
It will be seen by Table II that the loss in weight of the corn 
from the time the cars were loaded on April 14 until they were un- 
loaded May 11, 1910, varied according to the moisture content. The 
corn in car No. 1, which contained an average moisture content of 19.8 
per cent, showed a total shrinkage in weight of 2,450 pounds, or 3.65 
per cent. The natural shrinkage in the weight of the corn in car No. 
3, which contained an average moisture content of 17.8 per cent, 
showed a loss of 290 pounds, or 0.44 of 1 per cent. The corn in car 
No. 4, with 17.4 per cent of moisture, lost 0.27 of 1 per cent, while the 
‘corn in car No. 5, which was artificially dried corn and contained 16.7 
per cent of moisture, showed a shrinkage of 120 pounds, or 0.18 of 1 
per cent. 
The heavy loss occurring in car No. 1 was due to the fact that this 
corn showed a marked deterioration during the experiment. It was 
hot, sour, and discolored at the time of unloading, the average tem- 
perature of the corn being 139.5° F. These same factors, with the 
addition of the records of the mean daily air temperature through 
which the cars passed while en route from Baltimore to Chicago and 
return, and also the average temperature of the corn during the 
period covered by the experiment, are graphically presented in fig- 
ire 2, By examining the data shown in this diagram it will be seen 
that the natural shrinkage increased with the increase in the moisture 
content of the different lots of corn; likewise, there is a close corre- 
lation between the moisture content of the corn and the increase in 
temperature resulting from the deterioration of the high-moisture 
corn. 
The average temperature of the corn in the five cars immediately 
after loading varied from 52° to 58° F., or practically the same as the 
air temperature when the corn was loaded. The corn in car No. 1 
showed an increase in temperature of 15 degrees from April 15 to 
April 20, while the temperature of the corn in the other four cars 
during this time remained practically the same as when loaded. The 
increase in temperature in car No. 1 was undoubtedly caused by the 
fact that the corn in that car contained the highest percentage of 
moisture, 19.8 per cent. The relatively warm air temperature which 
prevailed at that time, together with the high moisture content of 
the corn, afforded favorable conditions for fermentation and the de- 
velopment of molds, resulting in a corresponding deterioration of 
the corn. On April 21 there was an increase of 6 degrees in the 
temperature of the corn in car No, 1 over the previous day. At this 
time the cars were passing through a much colder atmosphere, the 
mean daily air temperature decreasing from 52° on April 20 to 36° F. 
on April 21. During the same period the temperature of the corn in 
