24 
BULLETIN 1471, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Table 17.— Variation of oil 1 content within the same grade 2 of northicestern- 
groivn flaxseed, crops 1918 to 1924, inclusive 
NO 
1 FLAXSEED 
Num- 
ber of 
sam- 
ples 
Percentage of samples having the indicated percentages of oil 
Crop year 
32 to 
32.99 
33 to 
33.99 
34 to 
34.99 
35 to 
35.99 
36 to 
36.99 
37 to 
37.99 
38 to 
38.99 
39 to 
39.99 
40 to 
40.99 
41 to 
41.99 
1920 
162 
436 
602 
545 
298 
"~6.T 
----- 
1.2 
2.7 
1.2 
6.8 
8.6 
2.3 
1.5 
3.0 
20.4 
19.7 
13.9 
11.4 
10.1 
27.2 
29.8 
22.6 
27.3 
26.5 
22.8 
23.3 
28.2 
28.8 
27.5 
14.2 
12.8 
24.9 
18.7 
20.8 
6.2 
2.5 
5.2 
8.8 
7.1 
1.2 
.2 
1.7 
2.6 
3.0 
1921 . 
1922 
1923- 
0.2 
1924 
.3 
Total samples.. 
2,043 
Yearly average 
.2 
1.3 
4.4 
15.1 
26.7 
26.1 
18.3 
6.6 
1.8 
.1 
NO. 2 FLAXSEED 
1918 
6 
5 
2 
50 
2 
34 
63 
16.7 
33.3 
20.0 
"20."6~ 
50.0 
~I66.~6~ 
13.0 
66.7 
14.7 
11. 1 
1919. 
40.0 
20.0 
1920 
1921 
9.3 
20.4 
25.9 
33.3 
20.6 
39.7 
20.4 
"44." r 
28.6 
5.5 
5.5 
1922 
1923. 
~~~-L6~ 
2.9 
~~~I.~6~ 
8.9 
14.3 
5.9 
3.1 
2.9 
1924 
Total samples. . 
Yearly average 
162 
.2 
2.8 
7.3 
6.2 
24.7 
16.1 
36.5 
5.0 
1.2 
SA1 
tfPLE GRADE FLAXSEE 
D 
1918 
! 
53 
4 
5 
7 
33.3 
66.7 
1920 
57.1 
26.4 
50.0 
60.0 
14.3 
42.9 
18.9 
1921 
3.8 
1.9 
5.7 
25.0 
20.0 
14.3 
13.2 
25.0 
~~Ii~3~ 
22.6 
7.5 
1922 
1923 
20.0 
1924 
14.3 
42.8 
Total samples 
79 
Yearly average __ 
6.2 
.3 
21.9 
•8.5 
34.6 
12.7 
10.9 
4.9 
1 Oil content on moisture basis of sample as received at Minneapolis or Duluth, Minn. 
2 Minnesota State Grain Inspection Department grades of current date. 
From consideration of Tables 16 and IT it is apparent that com- 
mercial grades for flaxseed built entirely about the physical stand- 
ards of quality here discussed are of doubtful value when it comes 
to indicating the true oil content of the sample. 
Within the same grade of flaxseed a spread of as much as 18 per 
cent in oil content was found. Moreover, no consistent relationship 
existed between the oil content of the different lots of flaxseed and 
any of the commercial grades. 
DEVELOPMENT OF A SIMPLE, RAPID TEST FOR OIL CONTENT OF 
FLAXSEED 
The physical tests here discussed were no doubt developed because 
of lack of a simple and rapid chemical test for determining the oil 
content of flaxseed. 
Such a test would be of great assistance to the vegetable-oil indus- 
try, for with it (1) the buyers and sellers of oil-bearing seeds would 
