Sacramento daily record-union., 1882-01-14
Improvement in cleaning Wheat.

About three years ago we called attention
to the carelessness of farmers and professional
thrashers in handling and cleaning wheat for
market. Our wheat had then fallen from the
first place and highest quotation in the
Liverpool market to bad third place, and
all in consequence of carelessuess in handling
and cleaning. No, we will not say all in con-
sequence of these bad practices, but mostly
all in consequence Of these bad practices, bad
seed, weedy lands, and the practice of ship
pers in mixing low and high grade wheat to.
gether and in this way destroying all Of our
high grade wheat, by making of it medium
or lde, which, till buyers discovered the dis
honesty and lowered prices to correspond
with reduced values Following our expose
of the careless and dishonest practices, the
subject was taken up by the COM
mercial papers and by local papers
in the wheat-growing districts, ard the
subject was pretty well ventilated.
A discussion arose between producers and
shippers, graders and dealers, in which it
was very plainly developed that there was
blame to be attached to almost everybody
VINO in any manner had to do with wheat.
The charge against the farmers was so just
and so wei sustained-that they allowed
gravel, adobe clods and dirt of mcst all kinds.
as well as useless and foul seed, to remain in
and 90 TO market with their wheat-that but
few of them could deny that guilt laid at
their doors; but they came back at the
graders and shippers with the charge that
they also were not blameless, but that they
hoA 10 fbe rnatfar hv ahOntipty q
system Of mixing and grading which de.
prived California of the honor of pro-
ducing any frst-clsss wheat. Since the
expose and discussions on the subject
and the mutual and truthful accusations. it
has been noticeable that change for the
better has taken place in the character of our
wheat shipped from the State. The remedies
have probably been applied all around. The
farmers have seen that they were greatly the
losers by their own carelessness in cleaning
and by the negligence OF tbrashers, and have
taken more pains in cleaning, and required
their thrashers to be more careful in
handling and to avoid the gathering
up of rocks and gravel with horse
forks at the bottom of stacks. Graders
have seen that their practices result in gen.
eral scrutiny Of Californis cargoes, and an
absolute reduction Of prices, and that what
they had intended to bring them a gain was
last grain crop went to market in better con-
dition than the crops of number of years
previous, and as a result we hear less COM
plant. II this years crop goes to market in
still better condition-as there is still plenty
of room for improvement-we will not only
not hear complaints. but prices and quotations
will be given to show relative Improvement,
and California wheat will again begin to be
better appreciated. flaming mills and grain
have haaD n imnravod oh thara
is no longer any excuse for sending wheat to
market with any foreign substances what
ever in it. They may be so regulated that
even the small grains can be separated from
the larger ones, and that the bulb of the
wheat shall present almost absolute uni
forrnity of size and form. Or wheat can be
divided into grades so that first, second and
saird grades may be made of the product of
she same field. So perfect have these clean
ing mills or grain separators been made n =
seed wheat can be made not only ahsola.eiy