The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1922-04-05
FEDERALGRADE
CHANGES HELD
OF IMPORTANCE
DR.. John Lee Coulter, President
Of Ag. College, Discusses
Proposals
RETURNS FROM MEETING

Fargo, N. D., April 5.-Changes In
the federal grades on grain, which
in the opinion of DR.. ]. l.. Coulter
president of the North Dakota Agricul-
tural college, will have far-reachine
influnce on the marketing of spring
wheat, were tentatively adopted at the
conference called by Henry F. Wal
lace, secretary of the United States
department Of agriculture and held in
Washington last week. DR.. Coulter
has returned from the conference.
Recommendations as suggested by
DR.. Coulter and Prof. l.. A. Fitz of the
Kansas Agricultural college, following
an investigation of grain grading last
summer and fall were followed in for
mulating the proposed changes.
Most important Changes.
i ""The two most important changes
proposed have to do with. moisture
content and foreign material other
than dockage' in grain," said DR.. Coul-
ter today.
'fWe propose to specifically desig-
nate all grain having over IA per cent
moisture content, and all grain having
foreign material other than dockage.
By doing this we believe we will free
a vast amount of spring wheat which
is now bought under the suspicion
that it may carry excess moisture, or
that it may carry an excess amount OF
foreign material from that suspicion.
Under the present grading system
it might have an excessive amount OF
foreign material, and there would be
no way for the distant buyer to know
that fact.
"Only about to 4 per cent of the
wheat marketed in the spring wheat
territory carries excess moisture and
only about 4 to per cent Of the spring
wheat carries an excess amount of for
eign material other than dockage, yet
grain bought under that suspicion usu-
ally suffers heavy penalty Uncovered
price. ., ...r...
"The buyer now has no way Of
knowing whether the wheat he is buy
ing has an excess of either moisture
or foreign material and he buys under
the suspicion that it might be SO af-
fected, and he therefore buys as low
as possible, figuring that there may be
an expensive job of drying and clean
ing. or that the car may be delayed in
shipment and in that event, If it
should be excessively moist, it might
be badly damaged while en- route. h"
Buying On Merits.
"By separating the two, the buyer
will know when he buys either that
the car has excess moisture or excess
foreign material, or that it does not,
and in either event he will Ibe able to
buy the wheat on it's merits, and the
grower will be able to sell it on it's
merits.
"Our Investigations showed that
much wheat was bought on the sus-
picion that it might contain one OF
these two adverse conditions and be-
lieve that much wheat brought low
err price than it would have done, II
the buyer had known definitely that
it did not contain either excess mos
tur or excess foreign material.
"We worked out the new rules
which Secretary Wallace proposes 70
announce on April Is, but, because he
does not want to make frequent
changes, Secretary Wallace has inVit.
ed those who think that the proposed
changes can be improved upon, to
meet with representatives OF the de-
partment at Kansas City on April 4
and at Chicago on April TO-