The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-08-30
HANDLING DAMP WHEAT BY
M1x1N0

| Much OF the new crop OF wheat a
delivered from the farm this year haf
| a high moisture content which II put
| into>Storage without special treat
lment is very lively to cause trouble
by becoming musty and hot.
BY mixing high-mpisture ana low
moisture wheat together. metnoo
whereby part Of the damp wheat o.
this years crop can be put into gooo
condition was demonstrated In an eA
pertinent at Baltimore which was al
rected by grain Standardization spe'
cialist OF the department OF agr1cut
|iture in cooperation with the Cam.
brill Manufacturing company OF tnat
same city.
The experiment described was per-
formed to determine II 1t would oe
possible or feasible to handle damp
wheat In such way that It would
not be necessary to put It through
commercial drier and yet insure It's
keeping safely in storage or during
shipment.
For this experiment one car OF Pa
|cific coast white wheat containing
/, 09S bushels was mixed with one car
OF eastern red winter wheat contain
ing 1926 bushels, and put into stor-
age In an elevator bin. On, July %,
samples taken from the white wheat
while it was still in the car tested 81
percent In moisture. Samples taken
from the red wheat on July 81 while
this wheat was also still in the car
tested 15.1 percent. These wheats
were thoroughly mixed on August 3
and the mixture was then put into
storage in an elvator bin and allowed
to remain there until August 6. when
it was transferred to another bin.
Samples taken from the wheat at the
time it was transferred tested 1873
percent moisture for the red wheat
and 1922 percent for the white wheat.
The wheat was allowed to remain in
the second bin until August 10 when
it was transferred to q third bin.
Samples taken at this time showed
that the moisture content of the red
wheat was 1875 percent and Of the
white wheat. 12.0 percent. While the
grain was still in the cars the red
wheat tested higher in moisture by
81 percent than the white wheat. BY
August 6, or three days after the
wheats were mixed, enough of the
moisture from the damp wheat had
been transferred to the dry wheat so
that the difference in their moisture
content at that time was only seven
tenths OF one percent By August 10,
or one week after the wheats had
been mixed, the difference In their
moisture contents had been reduced
to only one-half OF one percent.
In order to have a record OF the
temperature changes in the grain dur.
ing this experiment, four electrical
thermometers were placed at different
depths in the bin into which the mix
ture was run. No appreciable change
in temperature was noticed durirs
the transfer OF the moisture from the
red to the white wheat
The mixing of damp and dry wheat
will facilitate the handling Of the wet
wheat this year. The miller who
buys wet wheat and has some dry
wheat to mix with It can obviate some
OF the extra work In handling the
damp wheat to keep 1t IN condition
and also get 1t In shape for milling
by mixing the two wheats together
for few days. This WIFI also do
away with part of the extra work in
drying. One car OF wheat can be
dried down to low moisture content
and then mixed with another car OF
high moisture content wheat and
time and labor be saved. II the mills
or elevators are equipped go tina,
they can mix and dry at the same
time, this method will greatly In.
crease their capacity for taking care
of large quantities Of damp wheat.