The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1920-09-20
IDAHO WHEAT CROP
LARGEST IN YEARS
B. F. SHEEHAN, STATE GRAIN
INSPECTOR ISSUES STATE
MENT OF CONDITION.

Reports recently issued by the
Bureau of Crop Estimates indicate
that Idaho farmers are going to mar
ket one Of the largest wheat crops in
the history of the state. Wheat is
| the average farmers big cash crop
| To secure satisfactory returns it is
necessary that the farmer have some
knowledge of the marketing require
ments when he takes his grain to the
elevator of mill to have it graded and
to receive his check for the same. He
| should have good knowledge of the
grading system now being employed
in this state He must know how a
grade should be applied-what dock
age, is, and how it is determined
and he should know when the dealer
| is using equipment necessary to ar
| rive properly at a grade.
| One of the most common mlSunder-
standings between the farmer and the
grain buyer is dockage-what consti-
tutes 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 in
cludes such material as sand, dirt,
weed seeds, stems, chaff, straw,
white caps, grain other than wheat
and any other foreign material which
wheat by the use of appropriate
sieves.
Some buyers have included the
cracked and shriveled wheat with the
dockage. This has been due in many
cases to the fact that many Of them
hand sleeves necessary for the re-
moval Of the cracked and shriveled
grain from the dockage. Farmers
should remember that cracked and
shriveled grain is not dockage; 1t is
wheat and should be classed as such.
If the fine seed screen sieve is not
used in the "oat kicker" oftentimes
considerable cracked 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 re-
claimed by use Of the hand sieves 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 it is imperative that regula- !
ton equipment be 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 a
sampling probe, an oat kicker, a set
Of dockage sleeves, g standard weight
per bushel tester and an accurate
balance or scales for the deter1nina-
ton of dockage. | wouldn't sell my
grain, if l had any quantity, to 8
iealer who didn't equip himself to do
good grading. Why not? Because
re must either grade or guess. If he
yuesses high, he goes broke. If he
yuesses to protect himself, he guesses
ow and you lose. Insist on accurate
yrades-accurate determination of
lockage made with standard equip
nent
In making the dockage determin-
ltion, representative sample of the
,rain to be tested is secured. This
sample should be weighed out on a
inely balance scale USUALLY 1000
,rams is used). Weighing the grain
ut in the fStest KETTLE" running it