OCR Text |
Show Impurities in Wheat) t Rye, Corn Cockle, Klnghcad, and Vetch Frequently Cause Loss to the Farmer Tho results of recent tests by tho Derartment of Agriculture Indicate that tho presenco In wheat of moro than 2 per cent of whnt nro known to millers ns "Inseparable impurities" lessens tho valuo of tho wheat for milling nnd baking purposes. Tills fact has been recognised in general commercial practice for wheat containing con-taining n noticeable nmount of impurities im-purities brings a lower prlco per bushel than other wheat. Tho experiments conducted by tho department are discussed In, detail In Iltilletln 328. Thoy includo tests of duo to tho fact the seed used In cockle, and wild votch seed in wheat In vnrlous qunntltlcs. Of these, substances, sub-stances, ryo occurs tho most frequently, frequent-ly, being found In 83 per cent or tho samples of hard winter wheat exam Ined by tho Investigators and in 39 per cent of tho spring wheat. In ono lnstanco a farmer's wheat crop contained 14.3 per cent of ryo. On this account tho fnrmor received 8 cents loss per bushel than tlio normal nor-mal prlco. In regard to tho quantity of ryo nocesnry to oxort on Injurious effect upon tho quality of wheat, thero Is u dlfferenco of opinion among mill, crs. Somo bollovo that when tho percentage of ryo Is lesn than 5, tho flour or bread is not notlcenbly affected, af-fected, whllo othors havo held that 2 per cent is objoctionnblo. The Government investigators found that 2 per cent or moro of ryo Is sufficient suffici-ent to lowor tho qun'ity of tho bread. In a considerable percentage of tho wheat samples examined, tho presence pres-ence of ryo was said to bo probably to tho fact that tho 8"cod used in sowing tho wheat contnlnod ryo. It lit not Infrequent for ryo to scattor during harvest and to produco In this way a volunteer crop. If the wheat Is sown on land which was planted in ryo tho previous season, this volunteer crop of rye Is harvested harvest-ed with tho wheat. Partial winterkilling winter-killing of tho wheat increases tho percentage of tho ryo, bocuuso tho lattor grain is not bo suscoptlblo to winterkilling as tho former. Corn cocklo, although less frcquont In wheat than rye, has a moro injurious injur-ious offoct. Tho presence of oven 1 per cent of this weod scod In wheat Is likely to lower tho prlco to tho fnrmor and cortninly lowers tho baking bak-ing quality of tho flour. Corn cocklo Is an exceedingly proline nnnunl weed a single plant hnvlng been known to yield ns high as 2500 seed. Further-I Further-I rooro, this seod is of such shape and slzo that It Is difficult to separate it i fiom tho wheat. Tho weed Is widely wide-ly distributed over tho United States and Is especially ubundnnt in sections producing soft red winter, spring nnd I Durum Wheat. Kvery farmor, therefore, should strlvo to prcont Its obtaining a foothold on his fnnn. Corn cocklo seed Is pnrtlcular'y objectionable In wheat because It contains a poisonous clement known ns saponin or snpotoxln. This hns beqn found nt times to do consider-nblo consider-nblo injury to young chickens nnd Btock when fed v.hoat screenings. Of the other Impurities oxnmlnod, kinghend, sometimes .known ns great ragweed, Is frequently found in whent In qunutitlcB ns high ns " or 4 per cent. Undor such circunintnn-cos circunintnn-cos tho flour contnlns black specks and tho color and toxturo of the bread aro serlous'y affected. Ken ns small an amount as 1 per cent of klnghcad Is notlccnblo In flour. Vetch seed also alters tho color of the flour giving It n yellowish nppoaranco ns well as a notlccnblo odor of vetch. As has already been stated, tho presence of any ono of theso Impurities Impuri-ties Is vory likely to reduce tho pilco tho farmer rccolvce for his whent Not only is tho prlco per bushel usu ally loss, hut thero may nlso bo a "dockago" charge Dockago Is n trade term for tho amount deducted Ion account of tho presenco of for-'olgn for-'olgn matorlal from tho gross weight of tho wheat. For cxamplo, If ft load of 50 bushels of Wicif U found to contain 2 pounds of foreign mattor per bushel, 100 pounds is deducted from tho lot for dockago. Tho owner own-er is paid, not for r0 busho' , but for 50 burbcls less 100 poundn or 18 bushels and 20 pounds of wheat. |