| { | | \ : | ge ge BULLETIN OF ‘THE io) USDEPARIMENT OF AGRICULTIR No. 48 Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry, Wm. A. Taylor, Chief. December 19, 1913. THE SHRINKAGE OF SHELLED CORN WHILE IN CARS IN TRANSIT. By J. W. T. Duvet, Crop Technologist in Charge of Grain Standardization Investigations, and LAUREL Duvat, formerly in Charge of the Grain Stand- ardization Laboratory at Baltimore, Md. INTRODUCTION. In January, 1910, special investigations were begun at Baltimore, Md., to determine the amount of natural shrinkage or loss in weight of shelled corn containing various percentages of moisture during transit in cars and while in storage in elevators.! The data on shrinkage contained in these pages comprise the results of four special shipments of corn from Baltimore, Md., to Chicago, Ill., and return. The first experiment, made April 15, 1910, was in cooperation with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co. The second, third, and fourth experiments were made in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. The second shipment was made on December 24, 1910; the third, March 2, 1911; and the fourth, May 11, 1911. The losses in weight shown for the various shipments do not include the losses in loading or unloading, but simply the natural] shrinkage in the weight of the corn while in the cars. METHODS USED IN DETERMINING SHRINKAGE IN CORN. Lhe freight cars used in these experiments were especially selected, uniform in design and condition, and specially coopered to make them grain tight. The cars were held together on the track for several days prior to loading, so that there would be no variation in their weight due to differences in the condition of the wood. An empty box car of the same series and condition was moved in the same train with the loaded cars, as a check in determining the variation in weight due to the absorption or evaporation of moisture by the cars 1The results of the first experiment of the series on the shrinkage of shelled corn in storage were published as Circular 81, Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture. 14901°—Bull, 48—15——1 Monograph 2 BULLETIN 48, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. under varying weather conditions. A standard scale test car was also attached to each shipment, and all scales were carefully tested prior to weighing the cars. Each shipment was accompanied by a representative of the United States Department of Agriculture, for the purpose of making weighings en route at certain division points and of keeping a complete record of the changes in the temperature of the corn. The temperature records were taken by means of elec- trical resistance thermometers, which were placed in the corn at the time of loading, as shown in figure 1. In all of the shipments, with the exception of the first, two cars were loaded from each lot of corn. In the second, third, and fourth shipments one car from each lot of Fic. 1.—Sectional view through tbe center of a freight car, showing the position of the six electrical resistance thermometers in the stored corn. corn was shipped from Baltimore to Chicago and return, while the duplicate cars of corn from each lot, together with an empty box car of the same type, were held on the track in the yards at Baltimore. FIRST EXPERIMENT, APRIL 14 TO MAY 11, 1910. CORN LOADED INTO CARS. On April 14, 1910, five cars were loaded with shelled corn from the Locust Point elevators of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co., Baltimore, Md. The amount of corn contained in each car varied from 65,920 to 67,160 pounds, with an average of 66,832 pounds, or slightly more than 1,193 bushels. The different lots of corn used in this experiment were taken from the regular stock in the elevators and were selected primarily with the view to having corn with a relatively wide range in moisture content. Before loading, each lot was thoroughly mixed by handling in the elevator, so that the quality and condition of the corn would be uniform throughout the car. At the time of loading, each car was equipped with six electrical resist- ance thermometers, as shown in figure 1. These thermometers were D, OF D. DEC -22: 1918 o. ND : Sig co’: % SHRINKAGE OF SHELLED CORN IN CARS IN TRANSIT. 3 placed in the corn in different parts of the car, in order that the tem- perature of the corn at those points could be ascertained at any time during the experiment without opening the car, the thermometers being connected with wire leads which extended to the outside of the . ear. The average condition and quality of the corn in each car at the beginning of the experiment, as represented by the analyses of samples taken when the corn was loaded into the cars, is shown in Table I. TABLE I.—Oondition and quality of the corn when loaded into each car on April 14, 1910, for the first experiment. F Weight : Badly GarNo: Moisture | Sound per Cob, dirt, Ranier content. corn. pushes etc. cele Per cent. | Per cent.| Pounds. | Per cent. | Per cent. De Seon Bee et bee ek Onte ae we sue se 19.8 93.2 53.1 ren 5.0 PE te fo os neta iay ate fa hig tines LES SES csc Betta SEE Seale es 18.6 95.9 53.6 583 Seal 2 COUR SBE See Oe ee eee eS eae eae 17.8 96.0 54.1 aif 4.9 aed de DR Cee Oe eee RIE eae ee a oe te er 17.4 97.4 55.0 aA 4.2 et nye BRES MES NSE SEs cS ae Re bt ee ns 16.7 94.1 54.0 ates: 5.7 As will be seen by Table I, the average moisture content of the corn when loaded into car No. 1 was 19.8 per cent. The corn in car No. 2 contained an average of 18.6 per cent of moisture. The corn in car No. 3 was a mixture of the same kind of corn as that contained in cars No. 2 and No. 5, the average moisture of the mix- ture being 17.8 per cent. The average moisture content of the corn in car No. 4 was 17.4 per cent, and the corn in car No. 5, which had been artificially dried, contained an average of 16.7 per cent of moisture. SHRINKAGE IN THE WEIGHT OF THE CORN. The amount of corn placed in each car and the shrinkage in weight while the corn was in the cars from April 14 to May 11, 1910, to- gether with the average temperature of the corn in each car at the time of loading and unloading, are shown in Table II. TABLE Il.—Shrinkage, or loss in weight, and temperature changes on each of 5 cars of corn used in the first experiment. Shrinkage, or loss | Average tempera- * Corn when loaded. in weight. ture of corn when— Car No. Moisture Net Unload- anion! | weight. Pounds. | Per cent.| Leaded. eal Per cent.| Pounds. age sc i NO SN ep iagic sates Peas kis dics anemaas eats = - 1918 67, 130 2,450 3. 65 58 1394 eR a Sy Sa onis e nc Rie ee alee eeeepeeiss 18.6 67,120 320 - 48 52 84 ee ake Sic s < aaa de eee ee See asec oS 17.8 65, 920 290 -44 54 oa Fete iis a Sis. oou oo s,une Gels ana aicieeeean ee eee 17.4 67, 160 180 ara 54 58 te Pe PS ES sete ninlgccc seen 16.7 66, 940 120 -18 58 62 4 BULLETIN 48, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. It will be seen by Table IT that the loss in weight of the corn from the time the cars were loaded on April 14 until they were un- loaded May 11, 1910, varied according to the moisture content. The corn in car No. 1, which contained an average moisture content of 19.8 per cent, showed a total shrinkage in weight of 2,450 pounds, or 3.65 per cent. The natural shrinkage in the weight of the corn in car No, 3, which contained an average moisture content of 17.8 per cent, showed a loss of 290 pounds, or 0.44 of 1 per cent. The corn in ear No, 4, with 17.4 per cent of moisture, lost 0.27 of 1 per cent, while the corn in car No. 5, which was artificially dried corn and contained 16.7 per cent of moisture, showed a shrinkage of 120 pounds, or 0.18 of 1 per cent. The heavy loss occurring in car No. 1 was due to the fact that this corn showed a marked deterioration during the experiment. It was hot, sour, and discolored at the time of unloading, the average tem- perature of the corn being 139.5° F. These same factors, with the addition of the records of the mean daily air temperature through which the cars passed while en route from Baltimore to Chicago and return, and also the average temperature of the corn during the period covered by the experiment, are graphically presented in fig- ure 2. By examining the data shown in this diagram it will be seen that the natural shrinkage increased with the increase in the moisture content of the different lots of corn; likewise, there is a close corre- lation between the moisture content of the corn and the increase in temperature resulting from the deterioration of the high-moisture corn. The average temperature of the corn in the five cars immediately after loading varied from 52° to 58° F., or practically the same as the air temperature when the corn was loaded. The corn in car No. 1 showed an increase in temperature of 15 degrees from April 15 to April 20, while the temperature of the corn in the other four cars during this time remained practically the same as when loaded. The increase in temperature in car No. 1 was undoubtedly caused by the fact that the corn in that car contained the highest percentage of moisture, 19.8 per cent. The relatively warm air temperature which prevailed at that time, together with the high moisture content of the corn, afforded favorable conditions for fermentation and the de- velopment of molds, resulting in a corresponding deterioration of the corn. On April 21 there was an increase of 6 degrees in the temperature of the corn in car No, 1 over the previous day. At this time the cars were passing through a much colder atmosphere, the mean daily air temperature decreasing from 52° on April 20 to 36° F, on April 21. During the same period the temperature of the corn in SHRINKAGE OF SHELLED CORN IN CARS IN TRANSIT. 5 the other four cars did not show an increase; in fact, the tempera- ture of the corn in two of the cars decreased slightly. Figure 2 also shows that the mean daily air temperature from April 21 to April 27 was much lower than the average temperature of the corn in any of the cars, varying from 36 to 40 degrees. Asa result of this low air temperature the temperature of the corn in all of the cars decreased slightly, except that in car No. 1, which SHRINKAGE /N WEIGHT rene 774% [4 ii 76.7% | 5 Ei PERE CEE Eee {oe dol lin rid ed So le fe a ay a ig pie a DEED Se eee ————= TEMP. OF CORN —-O-— = Seen TEM. MY oe) fe Re we Bere oe ree ee Ce finan yest i a TS Og AL ALT lenses (Abela het erp "a ae. i Peer tte aan GS ae a Fic. 2.—Diagram showing the shrinkage in weight of the corn in each of five cars in transit from Baltimore to Chicago and return, the average temperature of the corn in each car, and the mean daily air temperature through which the cars passed from April 14 to May 11, 1910. x z= M g x & ky ny i Ss showed an increase form 79° on April 21 to 135.5° F. on April 27, the deterioration being so rapid as to overcome or conceal any in- fluence of the air temperature. The highest temperature of the corn in car No. 1 was 142° F., which was reached on May 3. On May 7 the average temperature was 139° F. This temperature prevailed until May 11, at which time the corn was unloaded and found to be very badly damaged. 6 BULLETIN 48, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. The corn in car No. 2 did not show any appreciable increase in temperature until May 4, at which time the temperature of the corn was 61° F., an increase of 7 degrees over the record of the previous day. This increase in temperature was probably influenced to some extent by the air temperature, the mean daily air temperature having increased from 52° on May 2 to 62° F. on May 3. The tempera- ture of the corn in this car at the end of the experiment on May 11 was 84° F. In a few more days it would undoubtedly have been hot and sour. The corn in car No. 3 did not show any great variation in tempera- ture until May 6, at which time the average temperature of the corn was 60°, as compared with 54° F. at the beginning of the experiment. At the termination of the experiment, when car No. 3 was unloaded the average temperature of the corn in that ear was 82.5°, as compared with an average of 84° F. for the corn in car No. 2. The corn containing 17.4 per cent of moisture in car No. 4 and the artificially dried corn in car No. 5, containing 16.7 per cent of moisture, did not show any marked increase in temperature throughout this experiment. — Tt will be noticed shat the temperature of the corn in the cars was influenced to a limited extent by the temperature of the atmosphere; that is, when there was a sudden drop in the temperature of the air, as on May 5, the corn also decreased slightly m temperature, except the cars of corn that had begun to deteriorate. The heat generated during the process of deterioration of the corn concealéd any influence exerted by the temperature of the air. SECOND EXPERIMENT, DECEMBER 24, 1910, TO JANUARY 20, 1911. CORN LOADED INTO CARS. On December 24, 1910, four lots of corn, each lot consisting of approximately 2,400 bushels, were selected at the elevators of the Pennsylvania Railroad Co., at Baltimore, Md. The corn was selected according to moisture content, and each of the four lots was first thoroughly mixed in the elevator before loading into cars. Two cars were loaded from each lot, one being forwarded from Baltimore to Chicago and return, over the Pennsylvania lines via the Fort Wayne route, while the duplicate car of each lot was held on the track in the Canton yards at Baltimore. Eight cars consequently were included in the experiment, in order to study the effect of atmospheric conditions on the shrinkage in weight and rate of deterioration. The cars held on the track at Baltimore were weighed, and temperature records were taken on the same days that SHRINKAGE OF SHELLED CORN IN CARS IN TRANSIT. 7 weighings and temperature readings were made on the cars in transit. These eight cars were each equipped with six electrical resistance thermometers, the relative position of which is shown in figure 1. The average condition and quality of the four lots of corn at the beginning of the experiment, as represented by the results of the analyses of samples taken when the corn was being loaded into cars, are shown in Table III. TaBLe IIl.—Factors showing the condition and quality of each lot of corn in the second experiment when loaded into cars on December 24, 1910. : Weight |, ona) SACL y: Lot | Car designation and movement Moisture | Sound - |Cob, dirt, broke : per broken No. § content. corn. janelle ete. | kernels. | Per cent. | Per cent.| Pounds. | Per cent. | Per cent. {Car 1-C, transit, Baltimore to Chicago and ees. | PE DUDERE ae terse ine os Wee oils ainsi eae 22.0 94,3 50.9 0.2 2.5 (Car 1-B, held on track in Baltimore yards.... Car 2-C, transit, Baltimore to Chicago and ( 2. 6B POUGENE ese eset wieee se seca miacige ee sees ee tre 19.0 96.9 54,1 mls: 3.5 Car 2-B, held on track in Baltimore yards... | |{Car 3-C, transit, Baltimore to Chicago and | Oneises Uke TRG) ITE les 2 eet SS) SE gee gree mee 17.0 98. 2 55. 4 3 3. Car 3-B, held on track in Baltimore yards.... Car 4-C, transit, Baltimore to Chicago and Aoean| ROUTE nen an wate sete oe Nee aerate tee 13.3 97.9 56. 2 4 12.1 Car 4-B, held on track in Baltimore yards... Tt will be seen by reference to Table III that the average moisture content of the corn in lot No. 1 was 22 per cent; lot No. 2, 19 per cent; lot No. 3, 17 per cent; and lot No. 4, 13.3 per cent—a range of 8.7 per cent. Special attention is also called to the low weight per bushel of the corn from lot No. 1, containing 22 per cent of moisture, and the high percentage of the badly broken corn in lot No. 4. Much of this broken corn was of the consistency of coarse flour or meal. SHRINKAGE IN THE WEIGHT OF THE CORN. The quantity of corn placed in each car, the shrinkage in weight while in the cars from December 24, 1910, to January 20, 1911, to- gether with the average temperature of the corn in each car at the time of loading and unloading, are shown in Table [V. These same data are presented diagrammatically in figure3. In addition to the natural shrinkage in weight and the other data given in Table IV, figure 3 also shows the mean daily temperature of the air through which the cars passed while en route from Baltimore to Chicago and return, together with the average temperature of the corn in each car, ds compared with like observations made on the corresponding lots of corn held on the track in the railroad yards at Baltimore. 8 BULLETIN 48, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. TABLE IV.—Weight of corn in each car immediately after loading on December 24, 1910, and the shrinkage, or loss in weight, together with the moisture con- tent at time of loading and the average temperature of the corn at time of loading and unloading, — ee eee SO COO —— Moi Shrinkage, or loss | Average tempera- Bee Net corn in weight. ture of corn when— at ar designation and movement. | of corn ae | . when | loaded. Un- loaded. | Pounds. | Per cent. | Loaded. jondicd. Car 1-C, transit, Baltimore to Chi- |) Per cent.| Pounds. oeKe ae 74 1 cago and return..... BoESoSe eScsse 22.0 67,140 180 0. 27 31.0 33.0 pats Car 1-B, held on track in Baltimore , r yards... oes a ai oats il 67,140 230 34 31.0 38.2 2 mae Nore oe aaa : ae ie Z 19.0 | Bi Gop 140 ye pe ae Ap Pe Sone ee 67,070) 160 Weagosadtetutn- sre lt ang 57, 080 0) 9-00) al a. are « ‘ S| ce EE sos] 20] ot] ano] sa eee ee asf @)) 9°) gem chee sae ea e710] 10] 16] 0] a As shown in Table IV and figure 3, the car containing corn of 22 per cent moisture which was shipped from Baltimore to Chicago and return lost 0.27 of 1 per cent, while the car containing the same kind of corn but which was held on the track at Baltimore lost 0.34 of 1 per cent. The corn from lot No. 2, containing 19 per-cent of moisture, showed a loss in weight of 0.21 of 1 per cent for the car en route from Baltimore to Chicago and return, as compared with a loss of 0.24 of 1 per cent for the duplicate car held on the track at Baltimore. The reverse is true, however, of the corn containing 17 per cent of moist- ure. In this lot the shrinkage was 0.09 of 1 per cent in the corn in transit and only 0.04 of 1 per cent in the car of corn that remained on the track at Baltimore. It should also be noted in this connection that this lot of corn was of exceptional quality, showing the highest percentage of sound corn at the beginning of the experiment. The corn with 13.3 per cent of moisture lost 0.13 of 1 per cent in transit and 0.16 of 1 per cent on the track at Baltimore. As in the first ex- periment, the losses in weight of the four lots of corn used varied according to the moisture content of the corn, with the exception of lot No. 4. The fact that this lot of corn, which had an average moisture content of 13.3 per cent, lost more in weight than the corn that contained 17 per cent of moisture was probably due to the excep- tionally good quality of the corn in lot No. 3, or possibly to the ad- mixture of a larger percentage of finely broken corn in lot No. 4, although no leakage, even of the finely broken corn, could be de- tected in any part of the cars. As shown in Table IV and figure 3, the temperature of the corn at the time of loading it into the cars which were shipped from Balti- more to Chicago and return ranged from 30° to 34°, with an average SHRINKAGE OF SHELLED CORN IN CARS IN TRANSIT. 9 of 31.5° I. for the corn in all of the cars. At the time of unloading the range in temperature was from 29° to 33°, with an average of 30° F., or an average decrease of 1.5 degrees. The average tempera- ture of the corn at the time of loading it into the cars which were held on the track in Baltimore ranged from 30° to 35°, with an av- erage of 31.5° F. for the corn in all the cars. At the time of unload- ing the temperature ranged from 31.7° to 38.2°, with an average of 33.9° F. This is an average increase of 2.4 ee ees, as Rue, ee (OISTURE GO, CORN INTRANSIT | rast: { CAR /OG- INTRANSIT ages LG71-22.0% CAR IB- ONTRACK : CA = LOT 2-/9.0 Ye { FR 26-IN TRANSIT AGAR 28-ON TRACK LOT 3/20 % oe SC-INTRANSIT CAR 38-ON TRACK i ee Ia 32k. ee -iN TRANSIT CAFR 4-B-ON TRACK 13/0 DECEMBER saa: oi 26 26 28 30Y 13 5) a, i9_ oN ed Ha eh ec BA A bess == LEGEND IN TRANSIT, BALTIMOR TO CHIGAGO & RETURN ON TRACK, /N BALTIMORE YARDS TEMPERATURE °F Fie. 3.—Diagram showing the loss in the weight of the corn, the average temperature of the corn in each of four cars in transit from Baltimore to Chicago and return, and also the mean daily air temperature through which the cars passed, as compared with the same factors on the four duplicate cars of corn held on the track at Baltimore in the second experiment. an average decrease of 1.5 degrees for the cars moved from Baltimore to Chicago and return. This variation in the temperature of the corn was due to the wide difference in air temperature between Baltimore and the western points, as shown in figure 3, page 9. The condition of the corn in the second experiment was practically the same at the end as at the beginning of the test. This is shown in figure 3 by the fact that the average temperature of the corn in the ears did not increase to any great extent from the time they were loaded until they were unloaded. 14901°—Bull. 48—13——-2 10 BULLETIN 48, U. S. bePARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. THIRD EXPERIMENT, MARCH 2 TO MARCH 29, 1911. CORN LOADED INTO CARS. On March 2, 1911, four lots of corn were selected and two cars were loaded from each of the four lots. This corn was selected and handled in the same manner as that in the second and fourth experi- ments, one car from each lot of corn being held on the track at Balti- more, while the duplicate car from each lot was forwarded to Chi- cago and returned to Baltimore via the Pennsylvania Railroad. The eight cars were equipped with electrical resistance thermometers as in the two preceding experiments. The average condition and quality of the corn in each lot at the be- ginning of the experiment, as represented by the results of the analy- ses of samples taken when the corn was being loaded after it had been thoroughly mixed in the elevator, are shown in Table V. TaBLe V.—Factors showing the condition and quality of each lot of corn in the third experiment when loaded into cars on March 2, 1911. : : Weight |, F Badly a Car designation and movement. Moisture Some per |° on broken NOs : n. | bushel. es kernels. Per cent. | Per cent. | Pounds. | Per cent. | Per cent. Car 1-C, transit, Baltimore to Chicago and re- ees oY Lb ba eR Rei AS PIO SEBO O OEE BOGaene Ter: | 21.6 94.8 51.9 0.2 4.0 Car 1-B, hela on track in Baltimore yards. - Car 2-C, "transit, Baltimore to Chicago and re- P.O \ [iuio 2 he cot Ree Sho So Ono oben eee em nee har 19.9 95. 1 53.3 2 3.6 {Car 2-B, held on track in Baltimore yards....| q | Car 3-C, "transit, Baltimore to Chicago and re- 3 Beas CUTS ees een eee eee naistios sccians =| 17.4 97.0 55.9 2 4,2 Car 3-B, held on track in Baltimore yards..-.| Car 4-C, "transit, Baltimore to Chicago and re- Ce GUER. Gs e ee ee tn a Sat ads Senna le 14.1 98.0 56.5 1.0 17.2 Car 4-B, held on track in Baltimore yards.... From Table V it will be seen that the average moisture content of the corn in lot No. 1 was 21.6 per cent; lot Ne. 2, 19.9 per cent; lot No. 3, 17.4 per cent; and lot No. 4, 14.1 per cent. The percentage of sound corn ranged from 94.8 per cent in lot No. 1 to 98 per cent in lot No. 4. SHRINKAGE IN THE WEIGHT OF THE CORN. The quantity of corn placed in each car, the shrinkage in weight while in the cars from March 2 to March 29, 1911, and the average temperature of the corn in each car at the time of loading and unloading are given in Table VI. These same factors, together with the daily mean temperature of the air through which the cars passed in transit from Baltimore to Chicago and return, and the daily average temperature of the corn in each of these cars, as compared with like records made in connection with the cars held on the track in the Pennsylvania Railroad yards, at Baltimore, are shown in figure 4, SHRINKAGE OF SHELLED CORN IN CARS IN TRANSIT. lal Table Vi.—Weight of corn in each car immediately after loading on Mareh 2, 1911, and the shrinkage, or loss in weight, together with the moisture con- tent at time of loading and the average temperature of the corn at time of loading and unloading, Shrinkage or loss | Average tempera- Moisture Net corn in weight. | ture of corn when— ian : ; ‘ content in ear No Car designation and movement. of cor rate p= : when ; | In- loaded. loaded. Pounds. | Per cent. | Loaded. 1 Bee Per cent. | Pounds. Tee eR Car 1-C, transit, Baltimore to Chi- | 1 caroland return $22.52 s556 ses ee 21.6 7,170 390 0.58 40.8 | 112.0 Faces Car 1-B, held on trackin Baltimore | l yards. ofa aim ecietecora ela Serer ee Od 67, 200 400 .59 40.0 | 109.7 Ga 2-C, transit, Baltimore to Chi- | 2 |) cago and return...............-- 19.9 66, 970 160 24 40.0 | 41.5 ance /)Car 2-B, held on trackin Baltimore | yards. Se rel tactaeeia ie nideaareiee | 66, 740 175 . 26 40.0 | 41.5 Car 3-C, transit, Baltimore to Chi- } 3 cago and returmm................. 17.4 56, 600 130 23 40.0 40.7 eo oe Car 3-B, held on trackin Baltimore | UES aes ar) ae eee wo 56, 350 130 720 40.0) 40.5 Car 4-C, transit, Baltimore to Chi- 4 cago and return... .....-..-.s2 14.1 66, 580 100 15 40.0 | 41.3 ees Car 4-B, held on trackin BEE yards. i A ea reek ee ae ae a 66, 250 70 stil 40.0 | 41.3 ) } 1 ' As shown in Table VI and figure 4, the shrinkage, or loss in weight, of the corn varied according to the moisture content. The corn ‘containing 21.6 per cent of moisture lost 0.58 of 1 per cent when en route from Baltimore to Chicago and return, while the duplicate car of corn held on the track at Baltimore showed a shrinkage in weight of 0.59 of 1 per cent. The car of corn which contained 19.9 per cent of moisture lost 0.24 of 1 per cent in transit, while the duplicate lot in the car which was held on the track at Baltimore showed a loss of 0.26 of 1 per cent. The corn from lot No. 3, containing 17.4 per cent of moisture, showed the same shrinkage in transit as the car of corn which remained on the track at Baltimore—0.23 of 1 per cent. The corn from lot No. 4, containing 14.1 per cent of moisture, showed 0.15 of 1 per cent loss in weight while on the car in transit, as against 0.11 of 1 per cent less on the corn in the duplicate car at Baltimore. In this experiment the losses in weight were practically the same on the cars of corn in transit as on the cars held at Baltimore. By consulting the temperature records shown in figure 4 it will be seen that there was not such a marked difference in the air temperatures at Baltimore and at western points during the third experiment as occurred in the second experiment, which is illustrated in figure 3, page 9. The air temperature through which the cars passed en route from Baltimore to Chicago and return was lower on several days than the air temperature at Baltimore, but this difference oc- curred only for three or four days at most, and on several days the air temperature surrounding the cars in transit was higher than the air temperature at Baltimore. The difference between the air tem- perature at Baltimore and at western points during this experiment 1D BULLETIN 48, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. was so slight that it did not affect the temperature of the corn ap- preciably, and consequently the losses in weight were practically the same on the corn in transit as on the corn at Baltimore. The corn in the two cars loaded from lot No. 1 of the third ex- periment showed a marked deterioration at the end of the test. This (O/STURE CONTENT] CORN IN TRANSIT OF CORN OF ON TRACK ee /C-IN TRANS/T SHRINKAGE /N WE/GHT LOT/~ 2E% CAR /B- ON TRACK CAR 2C-INTRANS/T LOT2— 19.9%. CAFR 28-ON TRACK CAR SC-INTRANS/T LOTS — 174% CAR SB -ONTRAGK CAR &C-/N TRANS/T CAR 4B- ON TRACK MARGH 4.6 8 10 f2 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 - Pei) ae eps allio eae ea LEGEND IGA —— CORN) /iv TRAN SIT, BALTIMORE —0-AIR STO CHICAGO 2 RETURN ——-C ORM) ON TRACK, (iV — AiR $BALTIMORE YARDS LOTS — /4./ % OF: TEMPERATURE Fic, 4.—Diagram showing the loss in the weight of the corn, the average temperature of the corn in each of four ears in transit from Baltimore to Chicago and return, and also the mean daily air temperature through which the cars passed, aS compared with the same factors on the four duplicate cars of corn heid on the track at Balti- more in the third experiment, deterioration was due almost entirely to the high moisture content of the corn, which became hot in the cars as a result of fermentation and the development of molds. On March 22 the average tempera- ture of the corn in each of the two cars was approximately 55° F. At the end of the experiment the average temperature of the corn in the car that remained on the track at Baltimore had increased to SHRINKAGE OF SHELLED CORN IN CARS IN TRANSIT. i bis 109.7°, while that of the corn in transit had increased to 112° F.. The high temperature accompanying the deterioration accounts for the very large natural shrinkage occurring in these cars. The corn in the other six cars remained at practically the same temperature throughout the experiment, showing only a slight in- crease from the time of loading until the time of unleading. This slight increase in temperature was probably due to the fact that the atmosphere was generally warmer during the latter part of the ex- periment rather than to-any increase in temperature resulting from fermentation, as the corn was in good condition when unloaded. FOURTH EXPERIMENT, MAY 11 TO JUNE 1-3, 1911. CORN LOADED INTO CARS. On May 11, 1911, eight cars were loaded with corn, two cars each from four special ine which had been selected according to moisture ecntent. Prior to loading into the cars, each lot was thoroughly mixed in the elevator. One car of corn from each lot was held on the track at Baltimore, while the duplicate car of each lot was forwarded to Chicago and returned to Baltimore via the Pennsylvania Railroad. The cars were equipped with electrical resistance thermometers, which were located in the grain in the same manner as in the three former experiments. The average condition and quality of the corn in each lot at the beginning of the experiment, as represented by the results of the analyses of samples taken when the corn was being loaded, are shown in Table VII. Tasie VII.—F actors showing the condition and quality of cach lot of corn in the fourth erperiment when loaded into cars on May 11, 1911. | 1 | Aah Weight |, . Badly ze Car designation and movement. : pees pe per C nes dirt, broken ee ; | rae * | bushel. cs kernels. Per cent. | Per cent.| Pounds. | Per cent. | Per cent. |{Car 1-C, transit, Baltimore to Chicago and re- | ae fe pMMULMDIL Sat avays clei rCR eee = 2 cm ales a al atelarat 9 eatcy arm ae 18.2 89.9 54.0 0.2 3.0 Car 1-B, held on track in Baltimore yards....)} Car 2-C, "transit, Baltimore to Chicago and re- eed (0 MULE cog sah eremnice dURGS5 Sremee ROSEEe amee cle 17.8 91.1 54.1 | 12 3.2 | (Car 2-B, held on track in Baltimore yards... . Car a , transit, Baltimore to Chicago and re- 3 Be eas { MART eye = ‘ a i ta Pte: i 7 r t a ) rangyet sy pay NOS SARL Perera ety” irs i 9 prices fer, saline uniries . re boy : 7 * -) uf bol < @ +i i} ca