The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-03-06

record OF great success For your
blood medicine GET HOOPS.
considerable discussion, as the grain
dealers of North Dakota know, in re-
gard to this matter at the present time,
| but no definite plan seems to have
been developed as yet.
Acidity in Corn.
"Still another factor of much i'm
p%ortance in measuring or ascertaining
the ~soundness of, corn Is that of it's rel
| alive acidity. Perhaps some of you
| have received or seen the Tentative
| Grades for Corn which were promul-
gated Aug. %. 1913, by the department
Of agriculture. In the note following
| the general rules this paragraph is
given: ..-.
"'Note:-The grain standardizations
Investigations of the department have
| shown that the degree of acidity" is a
most important factor in determining
the soundness Of corn, and likewise its
! safety for storage and for shipment
While the results of these lnvestlga-
| tions clearly indicate that the acid1ty
test affords a means of accurately
measuring the quality or degree OF
soundness of any given lot OF corn, IT
has not been included in the grade re"
quirements for the reason that neither
the grain inspection departments nor
boards of appeals are familiar with or
equipped for making such determlna-
tons in commercial grading, The re-
suits likewise indicate that sound
corn of good quality does not exceed
% G., c in acidity; thai corn with an
acidity' in excess Of &c C. c. has already
undergone partial deterioration and is
unsafe for storage; while corn showing
an acidity Of 80 c. C. or over is dis
tinctly of inferior quality, such as
would in almost every instance be
| classed as sample grade under he
present system of grading. The de-
gree of acidity. as herein expressed,
represents the number of cubic cent?
meters of tenth normal alkali solution
required to neutralize the acid in 100
grams Of corn
Corn Grades.
Quoting from DR.. Duvel:
In formulating these grades, we
have taken into consideration all the
factors which play an important part
in determining the value of any given
lot of corn. The data on which these
grades are, based comprise more than
290, 900 individual determinations rep
resenting samples from over $4,000
cars in the various markets through
out the United States. These samples
either represent the condition Of the
corn as shipped from country elevators
or as received at terminal markets.
SIN order to avoid upsetting present
commercial practices, W. adhered as
closely as possible to the system
of grading now in use, except
that we have made six grades in
stead of four, thereby requiring a
more careful inspection and grading,
and likewise eliminating a large mar
gin in price between the different
grades. The grades were formulated
with a view Of having them of the
greatest good to the people as a
whole, including the producers,
try shippers. dealers, and consumers.
With uniform grades properly enforc-
| ed in all markets, every shipper will
then have assurance that he will re-
ceive fair treatment at all points and
will ship to the market Offering the
best quotations. The producer, under
a definite system Of grading, will like
wise have opportunity to know the
grade of his corn before it is deliver
ed at the country elevator.
"If a farmer has corn Of good
quality, he will be more likely to get
a price in keeping with that quality,
and the elevator operator at his sta
ton will have less trouble in hand
ling, storing N marketing such
corn.
when the farmer who grows and
markets corn of high quality receives
a premium for such corn, then the
way will be open for real progress in
the movement which has been so
strongly emphasized of late for the
production of more corn of better
quality, rather than more corr Of a
high moisture content, which has
been encouraged in the past. in that
buyers at country stations were pay
ing (and are at the present time)
the same price for high moisture and
low grade corn as for corn Of good
quality that will stand storage or
shipment without danger Of deteriora-
ton.
zone Of the principal benefits to be
derived therefrom is to encourage the
production of better corn, and thus
prevent numerous losses which now
occur every year as a result Of the
deterioration which takes place in corr
after it Is in the crib, or after it is
marketed. What these losses are can
only be estimated but they amount
easily to several millions of dollars.
"At the meeting Of the grain deal
ers in New Orleans, at h time the
was discussed somewhat in detail,
a number of those present commended
that there would be much dissatis-
faction throughout the country when
the farmer found that his corn under
the government grades was grading
No. 4 and No. S instead OF No. 8 and
No 4 during the winter months. A
study Of our grades. however, will
show that No. 5 corn has a greater
intrinsic value than the present No.
4. and I believe it will take no very
strenuous argument to convince the
producer and the country shipper that
this is the case.
For example. take No. 3 corn with
1870 per cent OF moisture at a market
value of 50% cents per bushel. On
the basis of moisture alone, eliminate
all reference to dirt. broken corn, cob
rotten kernels, etc, No. 4 corn, with
a maximum of 22.0 per cent Of mois-
ture, would have an intrinsic value of
only ASK cents per bushel on a dry
matter basis, a difference of / To cents
per bushel between the three and four
grade. Under actual commercial con-
ditions. the differences would. in a
majority of cases, be even greater as
there would be a big risk of the corn
going out of condition.
Last December. No. 4 corn on the