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PUBLIC GRAIN ELEVATOR PORT OF SEATTLE, NOW BEING BUILT
No subject is of more importance
to the grain growers in the PaciHc
Northwest than proper and reason
able priced dockade and storage
facilities. With this end in view a
large delegation of prominent wheat
growers of Eastern Washington dur
ing the winter came to the Sound to
consult with the Seattle Port Com
mission to determine how soon the
big dockage and storage facilities
contemplated by the Commission
would be ready for use. The result
of the visit was most satisfactory.
The port commission expressed itself
as using every possible measure to
push the work to a rapid completiou.
The Washington Farmer knowing
the interest grain growers are taking
in this matter asked Gen. Chittenden,
chairman of the Board for the facts,
giving us the status of the proposed
buildings.
On request Mr. Paul Whitman,
chief engineer of the Commission has
favored us with the following article
which explains the matter in detail:
The graill of the Pacific coast until
within the last few years, has been
almost entirely handled and shipped
in sacks. Recently, however, there
has been a tendency to depart from
this method and handle in bulk as is
done in the middle west and eastern
parts of both Canada and the United
States. This movement has been
somewhat accelerated by the expects
ELEMENTS NEEDED BY DAIRY COW FOR PROFIT TO FARMER
(Continued from previous issue.)
Green Roughage
The natural feed for the cow is
green . Krnss. Nature has provided
her with such digestive organs as en
able her to get more out of a pound
of dry matter wl en in green form
than when given in dry form. This
fact is very clearly shown in the in
creased milk yield during the time
when cows are on pasture. A methcd
of feeding often practised is that of
giving the cows a dry ration composed
of hay and grain duiing the fall,
winter and early spring, turning
them out to pasture in April, May
aud .June. Under such management
the highest milk production is invari
ably obtained during the three spring
months named. In order, therefore,
to get a maximum milk flow for the
entire year, we must imitate the
condition of spring pasturing every
month in the year.
The green feeds, or those of high
water content, are spoken of as suc
culent feeds, or simply succulence.
This succuleuce may be supplied in
many different ways, and may be
divided as follows:
1. By pastures of various kinds;
2. By soiling (cutting a green
crop and feeding it to the cow in the
baru or feed lot, rather than allowing
her to graze over it;)
3. By supplying silage made from
any suitable crop;
f>. By root crops, potatoes apples,
pumpkins, etc. ;
B, By factory by-products, wet
beet pulp, wet brewer's grains, ap
ple pumace, etc. ;
These succulent feeds when eaten
by tbe cow, do more than simply
furnish digestible nutrients in desir
able form. They also enable the cow
THE WASHINGTON FARMER
tion that when the Panama Canal is
opened that it will be practicable to
ship wheat in bulk to Europe. At
Puget Sound Ports, considerable
wheat is now received in bulk by the
various flour milling concerns, but
as far as kuown, not so shipped by
water.
After having thoroughly canvassed
the situation and consulted repre
sentative farmers from the wheat
growing district, the Port Commis
sion decided to build a combination
bulk and sack grain elevator and
warehouse. Since making this de
cision, the plans have been pushed as
rapidly as possible and at the time
this is published, bids will have been
called for the construction of the
foundations. The elevator and ware
house will be located on Block 375,
Seattle Tide Lands in front of the
turning basin at the south end of the
East Waterway. The elevator will be
located on solid ground back of the
wharf and shed. The total dock
frontage will be 1,500 linear feet
which will be ample to give berth to
three average freighters.
The grain elevator will be of con
crete, thoroughly fireproof contruc
tion, and will consist of a working
house and 25 circular storage bins.
Sacking machines will be installed so
that grain that is in bulk may be
sacked for shipment when so re
quired. It will also be arranged so
to get more food value out of the dry
forage and concentrates fed at the
same time than would be possible
without the succulence. A cow that j
is fed a balanced ration composed
entirely of dry feeds will produce a
fairly large amount of milk. If, how
ever, some succulent feed was added
to the ration, and au equivalent
amonut of nutrients be tiiken away
in the dry feed so that the total
nutrients would be tbe same, there
would be a perceptible increase In
tue milk flow.
PASTURE. —One 4>f the most com
mon, and also most convenient ways
of furnishing succulence is by means
of a pasture. There is not a doubt
that the freedom given tbe cow, and
the opportunity to lie on a soft grass
carpet to lest, both of which are
afforded by pasturing, are conditions
which tend to make a greater milk
production than is usually thought.
Because of the fact that such assets
cannot be measured in dollars aud
cents, a far comparison of the cost of
pasture with other forms of succulence
is difficult. This much can be said,
however, that on land which is not
easily tilled, such as a steep hillside j
or logged-oft" land, pasturing should
by all means be practised. The labor
connected with the use of pasture is,
decidedly small when compared with
that necessary to supply succulence
in other forms, and for this reason it
is often desirable to use the former
method of supplying green forage.
A pasture of mixed grasses and leg
umes usually gives the best results.
There are two reasons for this: In
the tirat place we Ond a difference in
the relative amounts of nutrients in
the different crops. This gives a
variety of feed, enabling the cow to
that wheat may be reoeived In sack.
The storage and working capacities
of the elevator will be as follows:
Capacity of storage bins ..424,400 bushels
Capacity of working house bins - - 79,900 bushels
Receiving capacity of elevator per day of 10 hours (average) 56,000 bushels
Bulk shipping capacity of elevator per day of 10 hours 200,000 bushels
Sacking capacity of elevator per day of ten hours 19,200 bushels
Working capacity of tracks 46 cars
Approximately 900 feet of the ele
vator will be two stories in height.
It is being planned that the grain
after being sacked may be conveyed
to this floor and stored, and from
there loaded in vessels to better ad ■
vantage than from the first floor.
Along the front of this second story
shed, there will be 900 feet of con
veyors in galleries from which grain
may be spouted in bulk to the ships
alongside. This system may be ex
tended in the event that additional
berthing space served with grain
spouts is required. A fair idea of
the capacity of the wharf sheds may
be obtained from the following facts:
Ist floor area of transit shed on Block 875 100,850 square feet
2nd floor area of transit shed on Block 275 70,200 square feet
Lineal feet of dock frontage served by dock spouts 900 feet
Total dock frontage -. --- 1.480 feet
It is the purpose of the Port Com
ission to make this elevator econom
ical in operation and modern and up
to-date in every respect, and with
this in view Paul Whitman, chief en
gineer of the Commission, was sent
on a tiip to the Great Lakes and At-
get a more nearly balanced ration
than could be got from one crop. In
the second place, the grasses and
legumes as a rule have different root
systems, which take plant food from
different depths of the soil. This
gives a larger yield of total nutrients
per acre.
While no one grass or mixture of
grasses and legumes will give the best
results for pasturing under all condi
tions of soil and climate, yet certain
ones stand out as being better for
general use than others. Kentucky
blue grass is without doubt the best
PASTURE GRASS COMBINATIONS FOR WESTERN WASHINGTON. <
LOWLANDS
Crop Lbs. Seed Per Acre Nutritive Ratio
Orchard grass ...' 4 -. 1:12.0
Red Top 3 1:11.6 ...
English R"ye~gra~ss"""""-."--"-"-. 4 1:10.2 (Approx.)
Red Clover : -- 3 1:5.2
Alsike 3 1:4.8
UPLANDS, FAIRLY HEAVY SOIL
Orchard grass - 4 - 1:12-0
Italian Rye grass 4 --- l:»-4 / Annmv \
Englishßye 4 ..... 1:100 (Approx.)
Red Clover.... .' 3 ---- I:s*
Alsike 3 1:4.8
UPLANDS, LIGHT AND GRAVELLY SOIL •
Orchardgrass - - 4 .'. 1:12.0
TallOatgrass 4 - i .'ion r Aonrox )
English Rye grass 4 - 1.10.0 (Approx.;
Alfalfa - 3 1-3-6
Red Clover 2 ...— - *»••
EASTERN WASHINGTON
UPLAND, NON-IRRIGATED, RAINFALL ABOVE 20 INCHES
Alfalfa - 4 1-3.6
Red Clover — 3 }•*£„
Orchardgrass 4 - j;* 6-v
Italian Rye grass 4 - *•"•»
For very light soil substitute tall oat grass for Italian rye grass.
LOWLAND, NON-IRRIGATED, RAINFALL ABOVE 20 INCHES
Alsike clover - 3 IY2O
Orchardgrass - 4 - • •
Italian Rye grass 4 •• 6
If land is wet, add Red Top 4 - ■«**••
lantio wheat shipping ports to study
tbe methods employed there. The
best features of eastern practice will
be embodied in the grain elevator to
be constructed in Seattle, so far as
they are applicable to local condi
tions. A unique feature of the local
house is that grain may be handled
in both sack and bulk as may be re
quired, which will take care of the
situation during the period of change
between the sack and bulk method, or
will enable the continuance of the
practice of shipping in sack where
the bulk methods are not practical.
The storage capacity of the elevator
will be approximately 500,000 bush
els. The plans are so drawn, how
ply building additional storage bins
ever, that this may be doubled by sim-
The estimated cost of the elevator
proper is approximately $280,000.
While the elevator cannot be com
pleted in time for this fall's business,
it should be in operation in time to
receive grain or storage at the close
of the season.
single grass for pasture. It crowds
out nearly all other grasses and
weeds, and is not easily killed by
drought. It is the richest in protein
of any of our grasses, which is one
reaßon why stock is so fond of it, and
why it is generally considered as a
good milk producing feed. However,
the fact that it soon gets sod bound
and becomes non-productive is a point
against its general use. The nutritive
ratio of Kentucky blue grass is 1: 7. 6.
Other combinations of grasses that
are good for pasture, and give larger
yields than blue grass are as follows:
