REPOET OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 17 



production and potential supply of hogs is very valuable, affecting 

 as it does the market for and price of corn as well. 



COST OF MARKETING. 



Cost studies in the field of marketing have been pursued in an 

 effort to get at the actual costs of marketing farm crops by various 

 methods. The services performed and their cost by each of the 

 agencies in the marketing process are being studied. Particular 

 attention during the past year has been given to the cost of mar- 

 keting live stock in the Corn Belt States, the information in all 

 cases having been secured from accounting records. Reports of 

 these studies will be made public as they are completed. 



GRADES AND STANDARDS FOR FARM PRODUCTS. 



The necessity for establishing grades and standards for farm 

 products of all kinds becomes increasingly evident. Clearly de- 

 fined and generally accepted grades not only prevent innumerable 

 irritations, annoyances, and abuses, but help the farmer produce to 

 better purpose and with fuller understanding of market needs. In 

 the case of many farm products acceptable and fairly well under- 

 stood grades already have been established, such, for example, as 

 the grain and cotton grades. For some time studies have been in 

 progress with the hope of perfecting market classes and grades for 

 live stock and dressed meats. This work has been carried on in 

 connection with the market-reporting service, the tentative grades 

 being used as the basis for the market reports. Numerous confer- 

 ences have been held with producers and members of the trade, 

 and recommendations and suggestions have been invited, so that 

 when standards are adopted they will be suited to trade conditions. 

 Illustrated bulletins describing the various classes and grades and 

 defining terms are now in course of preparation. Manuscript for 

 a bulletin on " Market Classes and Grades of Dressed Beef " is in 

 the hands of the printer. Similar bulletins will be submitted soon 

 dealing with grades of cattle, hogs, veal, lamb and mutton, and pork 

 carcasses, and cuts and miscellaneous meat products. 



The standards for grade and color of American Upland cotton 

 and for American-Egj'^ptian cotton were revised during the year 

 and a change was made in the grade names by the introduction of 

 the numerical system to supplement the present grade names. The 

 revised standards will become effective on August 1, 1923. 



