MARKETING HAY AT COUNTRY POINTS. 27 



the fact that there is a variation in the hay or (2) low grade hay is 

 deliberately put in with the better hay in order to make a little 

 more money out of the deal. 



The hay standardization office of the United States Department of 

 Agriculture has some very striking evidence of intentional " plug- 

 ging " of cars. In- one instance 25 bales of " Sample " timothy were 

 put into a car containing 241 bales of No. 1 timothy. A separation 

 analysis of one of the bales of off -grade hay showed it to contain 

 55.30 per cent of timothy, 39.50 per cent of volunteer wheat hay, and 

 4.50 per cent of weeds. 



When cars are intentionally loaded unevenly an attempt is always 

 made to put the poor, low-priced hay in the corners or under the 

 good hay so that it can not be detected by a car-door inspection. 

 Indeed, some shippers often succeed temporarily in this crooked prac- 

 tice when hay is given a " plug " inspection. 



The old practice of invoicing all of a carload of hay as of the grade 

 of the best hay is no longer considered an honest practice. In some 

 of the markets receivers have begun to take steps that will tend to 

 discourage the practice of loading cars unevenly, and inspectors are 

 placing the lower grade on shipments which contain more than a 

 reasonable percentage of such lower grade hay. 



The hay-marketing survey, previously referred to, has shown that 

 two grades or more of hay may be loaded into a car and no trouble 

 will result if the shipper invoices the hay for just what it is and not 

 as all being of the best -grade. 



