SCREENINGS. 
59 
in which large cargoes of foreign Wheat and other grain are imported, 
leading to the risk of propagation of obnoxious insect-life, such as 
Hessian Fly, &c. 
“ I think there is no doubt that both merchants and millers would 
very much prefer that such cargoes should arrive perfectly clean, and 
free from dirt, straw, seeds, &c.; and Wheat that does so arrive always 
commands a better price in the market. But you are probably 
unaware of the very primitive modes of harvesting Wheat in some of 
the countries whence large supplies come. The poverty of the growers 
will not allow them to use expensive cleaning machinery, while again 
the keen competition among shippers tends frequently to the receiving 
grain direct from the grower in bags, and shipping it right on by 
vessel, instead of, as formerly, taking their purchases into warehouse, 
and cleaning and mixing the various small lots into one uniform bulk. 
This especially applies to California, where much of the Wheat, if not 
all, is threshed off the field and bagged at the same operation, shipped 
in same bags of various qualities, often full of straw, &c., and then 
piled on the quays and bulked in Liverpool on arrival. 
“ Here the straw is not liked, but put up with, as it does not weigh 
much, and the Wheat, being very dry, has a tendency to absorb 
moisture, and thus gains in weight as much as it loses in straw, or 
probably more. What is more objectionable to a miller is the large 
quantity of earth or soil mixed with Indian Wheat. This partly arises 
from its being stored in pits in the earth, and then, when opened, the 
earth gets mixed in. Sometimes this is purposely done to gain weight. 
Again, in the River Plate, some of the Wheat is actually trodden out 
by horses instead of properly threshed ; hence you have impurities, 
and soil, stones, &c., often mixed, and the samples are valued according 
to percentage of these impurities. In the case you mention of a 
sample containing bits of coal, iron, nails, &c., it is more than likely 
that this contained part of the sweepings out of the hold of the ship or 
of the quay. These vessels often take coal for outward cargo and bring 
home grain, and, if not swept perfectly clean, some of the coal, &c., 
get mixed. Other samples often contain bits of wire, &c., arising from 
a wire-tie used for binding sheaves ; so millers mostly have large 
magnets set with their screens so as to catch iron-wire, nails, &c., and 
prevent damage to stones or rollers used in milling. 
“ Strong representations are made (especially to Bombay Chamber 
of Commerce) with a view of checking large dirt admixtures, with 
only partial effect so far; but you see, with such a variety of causes, 
it is not so simple a matter as it might appear to any one not 
in business. A discrimination in price has some effect, and is fully 
practised.” 
In the following notes, with which I was favoured by Mr. Thomas 
