182 THE BUSINESS OF FAEMING 



the standards of different grades many things are 

 taken into consideration, like appearance, uniform- 

 ity, mixing of varieties or breeds, moisture con- 

 tent, grading, etc. 



While the standardization of farm products may 

 be made a great aid to the business of farming, 

 yet it is too oft made the cloak with which to cover 

 a multitude of sins of dishonest farm produce 

 dealers. 



In standardizing corn the moisture content of 

 the corn determines largely the grade to which 

 each particular lot of corn belongs. Often nice 

 appearing corn seemingly free of large amounts 

 of moisture is shipped to distant buyers which is 

 declared to contain so large an amount of mois- 

 ture as to give it the lowest grade upon which a 

 large reduction in price is made. If the shipper 

 does not have a moisture tester and so does not 

 have his corn tested before shipping, he is at the 

 mercy of the dishonest grain dealer who can give 

 the corn shipped any moisture test he may desire. 



Similar conditions of affairs obtain in the ship- 

 ment of other farm produce, and is one of the 

 menaces of the business of farming that can be 

 eliminated largely by drastic legislation and co- 

 operation of the honest men engaged in the busi- 

 ness of buying farm produce. 



But notwithstanding we may have the dishonest 

 buyer of farm produce, yet the fact remains that 

 there are still scores of honest men buying farm 

 produce who are constantly on the lookout for 

 quality and standardized farm produce. The day 

 when any kind of farm produce taken to market 

 with utter disregard of quality, attractiveness, or 



