The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1920-09-30
WITH THE EXTENSION =
. PEOPLE =
..rKErING THE GRAIN CROP
- r. r.. Sheehan. State Grain
Inspector

the marketing requirements when he
talses his grain To the elevator or mill
n have it graded and to receive his
check for the same. He should have
j good knowledge Of the grading sys-
tenn now being employed in this state
He must know how a grade should be
applIed-what dockage is, and how ii
Is determined-and he should know
when the dealer is using equipment /
necessary to arrive properly at grade. /
One of the most common mismder-
standings between the farmer and the
grain buyer is dockage what consti-
flutes dockage, how it is determined.
and what equipment should be used
to accurately determine dockage.
According to the federal wheat
standards which have been approved
recently in this state, dockage includes
such material as sand, dirt, weed
seeds. stems. chaff. straw. white caps.
grain other than wheat and any other
foreign material which can be remov
ed readily from the wheat by the use
of appropriate sleeves.
Some buyers have included the
cracked and shriveled wheat with the
doclxage. This has been due in many
cases to the fact that many of them
sleeves necessary for the removal of
the cracked and shriveld grain from
the dockage Farmers should remem-
Der that cracked and shriveled grain is
not dockage: it is wheat and should
be classed as such If the fine seed
screen sieve Is not used in the "oat
kicker oftentimes considerable crack
ell and shriveled grain will go through
and be present. in. the pan with the
weed seeds and other foreign material.
When such is the case this material
should be reclaimed by use of the hand
sleeves and returned to the good wheat.
Only the very finest material that goes
through the retaining sieve should
be considered as dockage.
The chief cause for nonuniform re-
suits being secured by the dealers
when grading grain is that the equip
ment necessary to arrive accurately
at the grade has not in every case been
used. To get an accurate grade and an
accurate determination Of dockage ii
"a imperative that regulation equip
ment he used
In speaking before the seed conven-
ton last January, George r. Hyslop
Of Oregon said: Every grain buyer
should have the equipment to grade
grain accurately He should have
sampling probe, an oat kicker, a set
OF dockage sleeves, standard weight
per bushel tester and an accurate bal
ance or scales for the determination Of
dockage. 7 wouldn't sell my grain, II
! had any quantity. to a dealer who
didn't equip himself to do good grad
ing. Why not? Because he must
either grade or guess If he guesses
high, he goes broke. If he guesses to
protect himself, he guesses low and you
lose. Insist on accurate grades-ac-
curate determination of dockage made
with standard equipment"
In making the dockage determine
ton, a representative sample of the
grain to be tested is secured This
sample should be weighed out ON
finely balanced scale Casually 1000
grams Is used). Weighing the grain
out in the "test kettle" running it
through the kicker and then weigh
Ing back the dockage or the grain in
the kettle and figuring the dockage
percentage from the graduation ON the
beam requires too mach guess work
and has been found to be inaccurate.
After the 1000 gram sample has been
secured for test. Ii is then run through
& the oat kicker. All of the dirt, sand,
sticks, white caps, weed seeds, etc.
that are removed should be considered
as dolkage. Any cracked or shriyeled
grain that may be present in this ma
ferial should be removed by the use
OF the hand sleeves and returned to
the cleaned wheat. The remaining ma
terial is dOckage. This material Is
placed on the finely balanced scale and
the weight determined If 1000 grams
m grain were usd and the dockage
weighted back was 10 grams, the dock
age would be one per cent. If the
scale read IL. 10 or Is grams, the
d0ckage would still be one per cent
In determining dockage. only whole
per cent Is considered. If the test
shows 1.5, IL or 10 per cent It is
considered as one. If the dockagt
weighed back on the scale showed Is
grams 1t would be % per cent and
should be read as two per cent anC
not three per cent or not % per cent
The recleaned wheat which is dock
age free is then used to determin,
the grade The grade is applied upoI
dOckage-free grain. This is done b!
placing the grain in hopper" o.
tunnel. which is placed above the ket
tie. The grain is allowed to drop int
me bucket from the funneL Thi
drop should be two inches-that il
Two inches measured from the bas
OF the funnel to the top Of the bucket
The Overlooking grain is then strokes
from the kettle by the use Of round
ed-edge hard wood stick. Stroking tn
Kettle with the steel beam has tend
ency to cut the grain too close and
the sample is close TO the line Of
grade there is every likelihood Of tn
grade being inaccurate.
Samples under dispute should b
sent to the state grain inspector
&. State House, Boise, for a grade. I
90 this work it is necessary that
sample Of at least three pounds b
sent. Also the porducer and the rea
er must agree. that this sample