Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-01-25
GRAIN GRADING.
A Demand Upon the Legislature for Re
form in the System.

A Demand Upon the Legislature for Re
form in the system.
Representative Cook, of Blue Earth
county, yesterday presented to the body OF
which he is member batch of petitions
signed by large number of farmers of
Blue Earth, Rice, jackson, Redwood,
Freedom, Faribault, Otter Tail, Martin
and other counties, praying for state con-
troll in the matter of wheat grading. The
petition is as follows:
minnesota, situated in the center of the
spring wheat belt, together with the char
acter of its soil and climate and modes of
| thought of her farmers, must OF necessity
be always great wheat producing state.
"The total productions of 1882 exceeded
100000 of bushels, and promise to be
| greatly increased in the near future. And
the large development of the flour manu-
featuring Interest of the state now exceed
ing the amount produced by the farmers
of the state, places the wheat interest par
amount to all others.
THE present system of grading wheat,
| by means Of the testers, has always been
unsatisfactory to the producer. The farm
er does not believe that the number of ker-
nels OF wheat that tester Will contain, in
order to weigh a given amount is the hon
est expression of the wheat value. 1t is
too often the aim of the buyer to
get the tester full with the smallest
number of kennels possible, and exper-
fence enables him toso manipulate his tester
as to effect this object, to the detrimeut OF
the seller, and he finds the wheat to weigh
fifty eight pounds, ffty-six pounds,or fifty
| four pounds,as the case may be, but always
takes sixty pounds to the selling bushel.
Your petitioners believe that the weight of
the wheat alone is not true test of its
value, for experience has taught us that we
get as much and as good -four at our Gus
tom and tolling mills from No. 2 and as
from No. 1.
"The lower grades of wheat, owing to the
irregular angular form of the kernels and
larger development of beard in proportion
to the size of the kernels, occupy more
space in the tester than the smooth, oval
less beardy higher grades; or in other
words, the unoccupied spaces between the
kernels being greater, and as there are
fewer kernels in the tester, it weighs less
sit is. the belief of your petitioners that
the inspection of wheat and establishing OF
| lIo NdlU0 SLOulu no 81 COuGTOll6u ny ldW DE-
to place it beyond the power of the buyer
to determine its value, and so thoroughly
Investigated and illustrated as to make it
plain to both producers and purchasers.
"We offer for your consideration the
grading of wheat upon the basis of its
food value, as ascertained by chemical an
alysis.
Scientific Investigations in our sister
states of Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan
through the medium of their agricultural
colleges, have solved many a problem of
practical value to the farmers, and our
University, with its magnificent grant OF
land by the general government for agri-
cultural education, should lend its aid in
solving this and other questions of a prac-
teal value to the farmer. And scientific
men, who investigate questions for truths
sake alone, and have no pecuniary interest
at stake, are the proper ones to give an i'm
partial solution to this question.
"The following chemical analysis of
wheat was made at the Un iversity by re-
quest of the Blue Earth County Farmers
alliance, and shows upon Its face the start
ling fact that there is no practical differ
ence in the food value of the three grades
of wheat Investigated, the small margin of
difference being in favor of No. 2.