Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1923-02-15
ADVISE FARMERS
To CLEAN WHEAT
Cost of Transportation Greatly
Increased by Presence OF
Much Foreign Matter.
SCREENINGS HAVE NO VALUE
Grain-Cleaning Devices Can Be At
tached TO Threshing Machines and
Operated at Exceedingly
Small Expense.

prepared By the United States Department
OF Agriculture.)
Large savings in the cost or trans
porting grains TO terminal markets
would be effected IL farmers and coun-
try elevators would ship only clean
wheat to market, in the opinion of
Robert IL. Black in charge of grain
cleaning Investigations for the United
States Department of Agriculture.
The average carload of spring wheat
received at Minneapolis during Octo-
Der last year contained o-'er one and
one-half tons of screenings, Mr.. Black
said. These screenings have no mar
ket value so that the cost of trans
porting the material wa a total loss
to the shipper. The result not only
was a waste of transportation space
but increased considerably the trans
portation costs on the good wheat.
Dockage Is Large.
Minnesota grain inspection records
for October last year show that Mime
apolis received 1882 cars of spring
wheat during that month containing
an average of Az per cent of dockage.
The~transportation space occupied by
this foreign material In the wheat re-
qdired $50 cars more than would have
been required had the dockage been
removed before shipment, Mr.. Black
said. For the shipping season up to
November 81 last year nearly 65O,OOO
bushels of dockage or foreign material
in the wheat was shipped to market.
the records show. During the 1920
81 crop year the quantity of dockage
or foreign material In the wheat
shipped to market was so great that
more thar 1900 additional freight
cars were required TO haul the wheat
than would have been necessary had
the wheat been cleaned before ship
ment.
Mr.. Black Is conducting an educa-
tional campaign among the spring
wheat growers looking toward the
cleaning of wheat on the farms, hav-
ing In operation in the field several
grain-cleaning devices attached TO
threshing separators that can be oper-
ated at exceedingly small cost COM
pared with the losses sustained by
shippers through shipping dockage In
wheat to market. Mr.. Black is also
arranging to conduct a grain cleaning
school at Fargo for the purpose of
teaching farmers effective grain clean
ing methods.
Records Show Increase.
Minnesota grain inspection records
for the past IS years show a marked
increase In the percentage of dockage
in wheat arriving at terminal mar
kets, ranging from 2 per cent in 1903
TO more than 5 per cent in 1921. On
this basis the 1921 spring wheat crop
contained more than 100000 bush
els Of dockage, the transportation cost
on which was a total loss to the
shippers. Mr.. Black states that when
the cleaning is done on the farm, or
at the country elevator, the cleaned
wheat VIII bring a better price on the
market, the freight on the dockage
will be saved. more cars will be avail
able for hauling wheat, and the screen
ings will be available for feed. When
finely ground the screenings can be
substituted for the higher priced feeds.
such as oats, corn and commercial mill
feed, Mr.. Black said.