The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1920-04-30
FEDERAL WHEAT
GRADES CONFUSE
NORTHWEST FARMER NOT
CLEAR ON HOW REGuLA-
TloNs APPLY TO WHEAT.
WHEAT DIRECTOR QUESTIONED
]. n. Barnes Endeavors to Explain
Rules Prevailing in Many
Foreign Ports-Farm-
ers Very Confused.

Observation-Disclosures of the
northwest APPEAR to be much con-
fused over the question of federal
grain grades as they apply to wheat.
Numerous inquiries come to Washing
ton from individual farmers and farm
ers' cooperative selling organizations.
These questions were propounded:
How far do our federal grain
grades follow out wheat in the ex-
port business?
Do our grain grades differ from
the Liverpool grades, and, if SO, to
what extent?
What are the Liverpool grades
based on?
In other words, do the exporters
have to sell on the same grades that
our farmers do, and, if SO, who sets
the Liverpool grades?
Explanation by Barnes.
Replying to these questions. Drec-
ter Barnes writes:
81 think one thing is very confus-
ing to the layman, and that is, that
wheat can not be treated solely as
wheat In the United States we
have seven or eight different varie-
ties, and in world market like Liv-
erpool, drawing from Russia, India,
Argentina, South Africa, Australia,
the varieties, each with its own
chemical properties ARE so numerous
that no geenral statements or deduc-
lions can be made.
SIN Liverpool, for instance, they
do not grade wheat. think without
exception their entire purchases are
made on standard samples and Sc
ries of discounts and premiums from
the standard, which differences are
fixed by expert examination of each
identical sample. This can be done
| in a consuming market in which the
parcels to be examined arrive in
steamer lots, but it is impossible in
country like ours, where the wheat
is originally bought in the wagon.
load lots and in which ordinarily
eight to ten million wagon loads are
graded from the farmer. This will
show you that it is impossible to
compare the treatment of wheat on
grade between such market as Liv
erpool, with its customs, and such as
American methods have by long ex
perience shown to lend themselves
most readily to quick and economical
handling. - ~~.
Liverpool Buyer Is 'canny.
"On the other, hand, the Liverpoo
buyer soon learns to know what the
American standards of grades mean
and they have an importing class Of
buyers who will buy on the Ameri
can standards and largely guaran
tee the quality to the final miller
These standards they buy on are the
American standards; under the super
vision of the bureau of marekts, the
same as the farmer sells under at in
terror markets; so that as far as thu
American farmer is concerned, thu
grades sold under are fixed by Ameri
can standards, and not by the British
"Now you will see that, with al
ocean voyage of two weeks, any fail
ure to hold the ocean shipment
from America up to recognized ant
expected standards would soon b.
demonstrated abroad and reflecte,
in lowering of the price relatively
Therefore it is of greatest impol
lance that the standard of grade
across the whole country be- mad
uniform, and that is the reason VIII
[ I have always been in favor of fec
eral supervision of grades. and fedora
/ establishment of standards, for tina
has grown out of the result of
years Of grain handling"