St. Paul daily globe., 1895-12-27
Ills TENTH HlHlNuA.hI M U
CLAUsEN MAKES REPORT on
GRAIN INSPECTION In MIN
NES0TA
TO WAREHOUSE COMMISSION
SHOWING IN DETAIL THE WORK
OF HIS DEPARTMENT
FOR 1895.
TO WAREHOUSE COMMISSION
THE COUNTRY WAREHOUSE Law,
Elevators Are Ne's Operating Under
Its hrovisfous--R Retnspectfons
ana Appeals,

A, c. Clausen, chief inspector of
grain for the state, submitted his tenth
annual report of the Minnesota state
grain inspection department. to the
railroad and warehouse commission
yesterday. The report shows the de-
tails of the departments business and
finances for the crop year ending Aug.
81, together with supplementary re-
ports from the several Weighing and
registration departments Following
is the report;
The total number of carloads Of the differ
ent kinds of grain inspected ION arrival dur
ing the year was as follows;
Spring wheat, l3o,07S cars; winter wheat,
Az cars; corn, LIZA cars; oats, 6,S37 cars;
rye. 779 cars; barley, 4,017 cars; faxseed, 2,S44
cars, or a total Of 151,756 carloads of all
kinds of grain, as against 156, ,0S0 carloads dur
ing the preceding season.
The amount of grain inspected "out of
store" during the season was as follows:
Spring wheat, 3S361 carloads and q, 697, 1872
bushels into vessels; winter wheat 63 car
loads and 91,5SS bushels into vessels; corn, SO
carloads; cats, 2,G61 cars and 7G7, ,401 bushels
into vessels; rye, 81 cars and 9749 bushels
into vessels; barley, 457 cars and 1888 6S2
bushels into vessels; faXseed, 709 cars and
! 25,O94 bushels into vessels; or total of all
kinds of grain amounting to 42, ,065 carloads
and "a, 470, ,591 bushels into vessels, as against
sells during the preceding season.
The revenue of the department from all
sources during the year was s14z, COS, divided
as follows:
From inspection service, S67, ,o46.S5; weighing
service, S73, ,355.9S; from interest on deposits
! ana other sources s., 202.17.
The disbursements during the same period
were $147, ,522. %, showing net loss for the
year amounting to $4,Sl7.22. AT the COM
mencement of the season, Sept. 1, 1894, there
was balance on hand of $6711,79, so that
at the close Of the year covered by this re-
port there was balance of 81, 794.57 to the
credit OF the department in the hands OF the
state treasurer with which to commence the
next seasons work
The department WAS enabled to conduct its
labors and meet its expenses during the past
season only by the practice of the most care
ful economy. In the pursuit of this object all
employees whose services were not deemed alb
solutely essential in conducting the service
upon a really efficient basis were retired tenn
porarily from the force. This necessity was
as much matter Of regret on our part as
il was disappointing to those who were af-
fected by it. The assurance, however, was
given that all such employees should be re-
stored whenever the volume Of business in
creased sufficiently to warrant it. With this
reduction of the force also gave rise in
number Of Instances to complaints OF delay
and insufficient service, we managed to COM
plete the work of the season without causing
any serious dissatisfaction or inconvenience
to railroad companies, shippers, OF the trade
generally.
The business of the past two seasons has
been comparatively light, and has resulte&
in the practical exhaustion of the surplus of
S43, 81 which stood TO our credit Aug. 81,
1882. The prospects for the current year are,
however, sufficiently bright to give reason
ahla assurance that the department will be
enabled to furnish prompt, efficient and sat
iEfactory work in all its departments, and
close the year with a surplus fund sufficient
to tide It fairly over another season without
Increasing fees, even if the crop should prove
a light one. ..@} .-
REINsPECTIONS AND APPEALS. "a
There were 1910 reinspections called out
of the total amount of grain Of all kinds,
inspected ION arrival and "out of store, y
year. The dispositions of the reinspections
as follows: In 4,223 cases. the original
grade and dochage was sustained, indicating
that there was no proper ground, in the
Judgment of the chief deputy inspectors, for
calling reinSpection. Changes were made in
S,341 cases, 2,637 cases being raised in grade,
rs cases lowered and dockage changed in
49, cases. The changes made are fairly
indicative OF the errors Of inspection which,
during the past year, show but one error
in each ffty-eight cars, as compared with
one in each fifty-three cars the year preyi-
oUs, thus showing improvement and progress
in the character Of the inspection work.
There were nine appeals from the results
Of renspection to the railroad and ware
grade was sustained in four cases, raised
il one case and lowered in four cases.
The wheat crop of 1894 was harvested un-
der exceptionally favorable conditions, and
the deterioration in quality from rains our,
ing threshing was very slight. The record
of inspection for the year shows that about
hard; 6i7s per cent, No ! northern; Ii per
cent, No. northern; Il per cent, below
No. northern. In North Eakota and the
northern counties of Minnesota smut ap-
peared in many instances to the detriment Of
quality. In some portions Of the North>
west the quality was slightly affected by
was filing, On the whole, however, the
inspection shows an unusually small proper
ton Of low grade wheat.
Were it not for the presence of smut, the
wheat crop Of 1894 would have been an al
most perfect one as to quality. This dis
case has affected the wheat of the Northwest
fof several years. and it is therefore a mat
ter OF grave concern to the farmers of this
sectfon that the evil be kept well under
control, and, if possible, eradicated,
There
TWO KINDS OF SMUT
which effect grain, viz; Loose OF biscf smut,
which attacks corn, oats barley, ETC., and
bunt OF sinking smut that affects tie
wheat only, The latter is the greater menace
to grain growers in that the spores are of
an oily, adhesive character and difficult to
dispose of in the process Of thfeshing and
cleaning the wheat.
Smut is reproduced from the spores Of
which it is composed. These spores adhere
to the wheat berry, and when wheat so
tainted is sown and begins to, grow, the smut
spores gsrmnate and send up shoots inside
the wheat stalks, which live upon food which
would otherwise nourish the wheat plant.
The proper course to pursue is to destroy
the vitality Of ths smut spores, attached
to the wheat seed, before it is sown. In
no other way can our wheat fields be freed
from this disease, except by q complete
change of seed The latter result being
somewhat difficult to accomplish, it becomes
important to know which of the various
remedies offered and used for treating taint-
ed seed have proved the most successful and
PRACTICAL. There are three different meth
DDS recommended by the authorities at the
Minnesota Experiment Station at St. An
thony Park; st, Paul, MINI.
ling" the b1ue-stone dipping" and the "hot
water methods All of these methods have
been found practical and effcacious from re-
peated experiments,b ut the first, or sprink-
| ling'' method,i recommended as the SIM
plest and cheapest yet tried. Many far
Jners have treated their seed by this method
and report very satisfactory results. BT1ehY
stated the treatment consists in sprinkline
a solution. Of bIue-stone over the seed wheat
and then turning over the grain by shovel
! ing until every kernel is thoroughly moist
ened.
The department is required to seal all cars
of grain arriving at the terminal points after
inspection under the provisions of chapter 20,
Laws CT 1888; the work is being carefully anu
systematically conducted, and, while 1t en-
tails considerable additional expense, the re-
friced amount Of pilfering and consequent re-
Guetion in the number of shortages is suffi-
cient evidence, of the utility Of this feature
Gf the department work.
EviGeree is frequently presented to indicate
that state seals have been broken regardless
Of the severe penalties which the law pre-
scriles, but none of the guilty parties have as
yet been apprehended. While the department
lsa3 avery reasonable effort to aid in the en-
foreeuent of the law against breaking or
tanlpering with state seals and the detection