MARKETING HAY AT COUNTRY POINTS. 13 



The average producer does not know the grades as applied in the 

 city markets, and he almost invariably claims to have a much higher 

 grade than the hay would grade on the city market. Under such 

 circumstances the country shipper, in buying unbalecl hay, must 

 often set a price low enough to cover inferior hay in the middle 

 of the mow or stack. This necessary practice, on the part of the 

 shipper, often causes an appreciable loss to the producer whose barn 

 or stack of hay runs true to the grade of hay that can be seen when 

 the sale is made. On the other hand, the shipper sometimes takes 

 the producer's word regarding hay and finds out later, when the hay 

 is being delivered, that the quality has been misrepresented, and as 

 a result suffers a heavy loss. 



It is the consensus of opinion among country shippers that the 

 average hay grower does not know the grades of hay, and also that 

 the buying of hay on such producer's word only is a hazardous 

 method. 



The shippers themselves are responsible in many instances for the 

 lack of knowledge regarding grades on the part of the producer. In 

 purchasing hay from producers the shipper rarely disputes the 

 grower, who says that his hay is " choice " or No. 1, but simply pays 

 what the hay seems to be worth. It is often for this reason that 

 producers have come to have incorrect ideas as to the grade of their 

 hay. 



MARKETING HAY IN THE BALE BY THE PRODUCER. 



The only solution of present difficulties encountered when hay is 

 sold in the barn or stack is to sell it after it has been baled. If this 

 were done, the shipper would have an opportunity to see just what he 

 is buying and could determine the actual amount of the different 

 grades present and would be able not only to protect himself, but 

 to pay the producer the proper market price for all of the hay offered 

 for sale. As it stands to-day, when the shipper loses on a bad lot 

 of hay from one producer he is obliged to try to make up the loss 

 on the good hay purchased from other producers. In general, ship- 

 pers who buy small lots of hay, say from one-half up to 2 or 3 car- 

 loads, from a single producer would welcome the idea of buying 

 hay by grade, from the producer. 



In some sections selling hay in the bale is practiced rather ex- 

 tensively. In the " Black Belt " of the South alfalfa and Johnson 

 grass hay is baled before it is sold. Considerable prairie hay is 

 sold in the same manner. This method of preparation before selling 

 was brought about because baling from the windrow or cock requires 

 less labor than any other method. 



When hay is hauled to the shipping point as soon as it is baled, 

 the shipper can inspect it as it comes in; and if there is any varia- 



