BULLETIN OF THE 
No. 56 
Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry, Wm. A. Taylor, Chief. 
January 28, 1914. 
A SPECIAL FLASK FOR THE RAPID DETERMINATION 
OF WATER IN FLOUR AND MEAL. 
By John H. Cox, 
Assistant in Grain Standardization. 
INTRODUCTION. 
The special flask which is described in this bulletin is used in con- 
nection with the Brown-Duvel tester described in Circular No. 72 
of the Bureau of Plant Industry, United States Department of 
Agriculture, entitled "A Moisture Tester for Grain and Other Sub- 
stances and How to Use It," by Dr. J. W. T. Duvel. The special 
flask, shown in figure 1, has double walls and was developed for 
commercial work so that a quick and accurate test could be made 
of finely ground material, such as flour and meal. The single- 
walled flask described in the circular mentioned is not suitable for 
testing finely ground substances, as it does not always give accurate 
results. The meal when tested in such a flask frequently burns 
badly at the bottom, and the flask does not clean well and soon 
breaks, while the double-walled flask may be cleaned without trouble 
and does not break easily. 
One of the principal causes why corn meal and other finely ground 
materials deteriorate is the water which they contain. The manu- 
facturers of thesB finely ground products can largely eliminate the 
excess water in their meal and flour by proper precautions. The 
amount of water in flour or meal can easily be tested in a few min- 
utes .by the use of this special flask, thereby determining whether 
they contain too much water for safe transportation or storage. 
The tester consists of two or more compartments, so that one 
or more duplicate sample tests can be run at the same time. There 
is a flask for each compartment and a gas, alcohol, or gasoline burner 
beneath each one. Figures 2 and 3 show an external view of a 
standard 6-compartment water tester ready for use. 
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