Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-11-07
GRAIN FORWARDED BEFORE IT is
FULLY PREPARED FOR
MARKETING.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
MAKES STUDY. OF CONDITIONS
Shippers Methods Far Less Eeonom.
ie.I Than Those Employed in For.
sisn countriss-EIsvaters putting in
Dryins Machinery to Save Freight
charsss-orewins Of Earlier vari.
& cites suggested.

a&
Washington. Nov. Elm the belief
that American methods of shipping
several important staple foods by
freight are decidedly wasteful and that
this waste in money adds materially to
the cost Of food. specialists Of the de-
partment OF agriculture have been con-
Quoting investigations into shipping
conditions in the United States. AS a
result they are convinced that in sew
eral particulars the systems used by
United States shippers are far. less
economical than those employed by
foreign shippers, notably in Germany.
The specialists find that food Is
started on long freight journeys in
such condition that heavy freight
charges must be paid on elements
which have to be taken out Of the food
at the end Of the trip before it can be
used as food. One Of the heaviest
wasted freight items is the freight paid
for the transportation of excessive
moisture in corn, and in potatoes to be
used for stock food or in the manu-
facture Of starch.
Germans Dry Potatoes.
In Germany the culls and faulty po-
tatoes, which in this country are
throw away, are dried to remove all
excess water and then shipped for
stock feed. This practice of drying po-
tatoes for stock feed and uses In the
arts has not gained great Roadway IN
this country. AS q result the culls
commonly are thrown away and starch
| is made from potatoes only when there
are excess crops which make them
available at a cheap price. Potatoes
in their natural state contain upward
of 70 per cent Of water, which has no
special nutrittve value. Long ship
ments of potatoes, therefore. In their
natural state are not practicable,
whereas the Germans who have dried
out the excessive water find 1t prac-
ticable to ship the dried product
Pay Freight on Water.
Tho waste water now being shipped
in corn in the United States, accord
ing to the estimates Of the specialists.
has a serious bearing on the actual
cost Of corn, and also IL one explana-
ton for the great shortage Of cars at
the corn shipping seasons. The special
ists find. for example, that the Ameri-
can people are paying freight on 1885,
lss9 eonx ofa4wateF In shipping their
corn from the producing sections to
the market. This means that at time
when there IL q great shortage OF cars,
there is the equivalent Of over 1886
freight cars Of 10000 pounds capacity,
loaded with water. which is responsible
for the enormous losses resulting from
the deterioration Of shelled corn be-
fore It is consumed.
Figuring q car length at forty Feet,
this meaas that each year q train 5S2,-
a40 feet long, or over ITO miles. not
counting the locomotives. is engaged IN
nothing more profitable than hauling
water from q few miles up to q thous-
and miles in the case Of corn shipped
to the seaboard points from the central
corn producing area. Exactly now
much excess freight rhis represents
can not be accurately determined. but
an the freight rate on corn b about I
cent per ton mile, It can be seen that
this hauling Of useless water IN corn
adds materially to the cost OF the pro-
duct before it reaches the consumer.
Moisture In Corn.
A study of the average moisture con-
tent from the receipts Of corn Tor Bal
timore. Chicago. st. Louis and New
Orlea ns shows that from June to Octo-
Der the average moisture content OF
corn received ranges from 1873 to 14.1
per cent. This corn. which has been
stored in cribs and allowed to dry out,
il. therefore, below the moisture con-
tent Of 1876 per cent. which is the
maximum moisture permitted by the
new proposed corn grades for No. 2
com.
During the months from November
to April. however, the moisture content
ranges from 1876 to 20.2 per cent on an
average for corn. so that all corn re-
ceived at these great corn markets
during these six months contains an
average Of from 3 to As per cent more
water than In permitted for No. grade
corn. This means that in every bushel
OF corn from one and two-thirds to two
and one-half pounds Of useless water
il shipped on the railroads.
Excess Water Enormous.
Using the actual averages of Excess
sive moisture. and disregarding the
special shipments where the moisture
content may run a. high as % per
cent the specialists ind that the ex-
cess water shipped amounts 10 the
equivalent in weight for 1885, 500
bushels Of corn.
The presence Of this excessive mois-
ture In corn not only adds to the net
cost OF the corn after It is delivered.
but prevents the producer who ships
corn over the moisture limit from hav-
ling his corn graded az grade 2. and
Consequently compels him to accept a
grade or lower, with q corresponding
reduction in price for his produce.
Moreover, corn with an excessive
moisture content IL liable to deterior-
ate In storage. Many corn dealers.
therefore. ON receipt OF the corn have
to dry out the excessive water. altho'
Others store the moist corn and do not
drv ii out until it shows danger Of
deterioration. They hope to get rid
of II in its original condition without
the necessity for drying 1t.
Have Drying Machinery.
Many Of the big elevators In the CEN
trail corn markets now have machinery
for drying out excessive moisture,
Comparatively few Of the smaller col
lecting elevators have these drying ma
chimes. and the only method Of drying
corn possessed by most producers IL
storing It properly in cribs. Corn ship
ned during the summer months there
fore. has had chance to dry out in
the crib. but in the cold and wet