Introduction — Industries Allied With Agriculture 15 



small grain producer who has good grain, is that unless he has a 

 reasonably large quantity to store, his grain is stacked with that of 

 other farmers, and in case of withdrawal for sale he might have re- 

 turned to him grain other than that which he placed in storage. The 

 large grain producer can usually arrange at the warehouse to have his 

 grain kept in a separate stack, which can be inspected by buyers if 

 necessary. 



Hay warehouses are located at Gilbert, Peoria, Glendale, Phoenix, 

 Tempe and Mesa. Only a relatively small proportion of the hay pro- 

 duced in the Salt River Valley is baled and placed under cover. There 

 are a number of large hay sheds owned by some of the larger alfalfa 

 growers and capable of storing relatively large quantities of baled hay 

 on the farm. Most of the hay crop in the Valley, however, is stacked 

 in the open and either fed loose from the stack or baled later for ship- 

 ment. There are no covered storages other than those on the farms 

 which are available for the hay producer. While, of course, the cheap- 

 est method of storing hay is the stack method, it is evident that addi- 

 tional hay storage space for good baled hay would be profitable for the 

 farmers. Cold storage space for perishable commodities is available 

 in Glendale. Phoenix and Mesa. Practically all of the space which is 

 utilized for storing of dairy products or fruits and vegetables is used 

 by local creameries or wholesale dealers. Storage by farmers or farm- 

 ers' associations is practically unheard of. 



At the present time the storage question is one which should be 

 given attention. During the average season the farmer who stores 

 his grain at harvest time and sells it at a later period often benefits 

 from such a practice. The same statement applies to hay. The 19 17 

 season was, of course, an exceptional one, but the fact remains that 

 hay prices at the time of the first cutting of alfalfa averaged around 

 $12, while October prices approximated $25 per ton. Certain farmers 

 who held part of their surplus for a later market have nearly doubled 

 their income by such procedure. This, of course, brings up the ques- 

 tion of the advisability of building additional hay storage space and 

 there seems little doubt that considerable additional space can be 

 utilized by the producers of high grade baled alfalfa hay. 



Industries Allied With Agriculture While the Salt River 

 Valley is essentially unorganized for either production or marketing, 

 there has been built up a fairly permanent series of allied industries 

 which naturally accompany any large agricultural enterprise. In 191 7 



