Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1913-04-04

parently makes the grains more
plump; that wheat should preferably
be in crisp, firm condition when
placed in the tank; that small
quantity OF moist or spongy grain,
having what is termed a tough"
feel, can be added without danger to
the whole, but that no large guam
tity of grain in the latter condition
should be dumped in at once.
One farmer and grain buyer says:
There is no doubt that tank storage
improves not only the appearance of
the wheat, but the quality, from
milling standpoint, as well. How
ever, while small quantity OF wet
wheat would spoil the entire con-
tents of the sack, causing mold, the
same wheat could be run into tank
with Lmpunty as the moisture would
| be absorbed by the dry wheat"
The manager of the concrete ele-
yator says that in his experience
there has been no sweating of the
grain in his elevator. This particu-
lar elevator was built last summer,
finished, l think, in August, after
the wheat was cut and some of it
threshed, so it is likely that under
such conditions sweating would have
affected the wheat in such an ele-
vator ii it would under ordinary con-
ditions.
My correspondents have given
some data relative to sizes of storage
tanks and costs. The Ritzville Flour
ing Mills have two tanks $4,000
bushels in capacity. These tanks are
! 40 feet in diam eter and so feet high
The first one was made out of rela-
lively heavy steel plates and cost, to-
gether with the elevator, $1,000, or
an initial cost of lac per bushel for
storage. The second one of the same
size cost $4,000, or an initial cost of
9.4c per bushel for storage. A third
one, loo feet in circumference and
s feet high, exclusiye( Of elevator,
cost $500. The capacity of this
tank was 81 900 bushels and the in
5.5c. A smaller tank, 70 feet in cir
conference and 30 feet high, hold
ing 10, 500 bushels, is said to have
cost $500, or 4.5c per bushel of stor-
age capacity. Another one of the
same dimensions cost $500, or SIC
per bushel of storage. These latter
ones were built by a farmer on his
place for his own individual storage.
reinforced concrete elevator at
Hollister, Idaho, is 105 feet high, "a
feet inside diameter, and has a ca,
pacity of 10000 bushels. There is
a loading bin at the top of this ele-
yator holding about a carload. This
bin can be loaded at any time and
held for chuting into a car. The
grain is brought in over wagon scales
and unloaded into a boot from which
it is elevated by an endless belt into
the elevator proper. l do not have
the cost of this elevator, but will
undertake to get it in a few days.
The price per bushel for storage
III all of these elevators is relatively
low. If an elevator were filled and
emptied more than once during a sea-
son, it would reduce the initial cost
per bushel of wheat put through the
elevator and, of course, in all in
stances in a couple of years at least
the elevator would pay for itself as
compared to the cost of sacks.
1t would seem as though an ele-
Vator to store 100000 bushels could
be built at something like a cost of
$4,000. The interest on such an
investment at per cent would be
$500 per year, and If the elevator
were filled and emptied more than
once during season, its capacity to
store grain would be more than the
I 100000 bushels. If filled and emp
tied twice, it would take care of
100000 bushels, and so on. The
cost of sacks to handle 100000 bush
els, at the price of 10 cents per sack,
would be $4,000, and if it were 2O0,-
600 bushels to be stored that amount
would be doubled, which would be
equal to the initial cost of the tank
storage. This $4,000 on the 100, 900
bushels would be a yearly assess
ment against the farmer. The in
terest on the storage would only be
$500. To this $500 probably should
be added some upkeep and deprecia-
ton, but you will readily see that
there would be a very large saving
of expense to the wheat growers If
they would convert their storage
from the sacking system to the ele-
vator system.
Yours truly,
! o. L. WALLER.