BULLETIN 980, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



tion a misdemeanor subject to a fine of such proportions that it would 

 tend to discourage quickly this unfair practice. 



The easiest and quickest way of making a car-door inspection is 

 for the inspector to stand on the ground in front of the open door 

 and form his opinion regarding grades after looking at the exposed 

 bales. If no grade variation is shown by any of the bales he may be 

 able to grade the hay fairly well from the ground. Many inspectors, 

 however, are more painstaking than this in making car-door inspec- 

 tions. They carry a short light ladder about 6 feet long, which 

 enables them to get a close view of the hay even at the top of the 

 car. When cars are not loaded to the roof in the doorway they get 

 into the car, so as to see as many bales as possible. Some thorough 

 inspectors examine the hay in the opposite doorway if they are 

 in doubt regarding grade after viewing the hay in the first doorway. 



Fig. 1. — Inspecting hay by car-door inethod. 



There are factors which sometimes make car-door inspection very 

 difficult. Closeness of the car tracks is one. Crowded cars make a 

 poor light for inspection. Sometimes a newly painted red car will 

 reflect light in such a way that it is practically impossible for an 

 inspector to judge the true color of the hay. Some inspectors under 

 such conditions pull out samples from several bales and carry them 

 to a place where the light is good. When the sky is overcast it is 

 sometimes impossible to distinguish the very slight difference in color 

 that differentiates the two grades. Again, at times car doors are not 

 opened to their full extent. Under such conditions the inspector 

 may be unable to open the door and may be obliged to put a grade 

 on the hay from the little portion he can see, making his work very 

 unsatisfactory even to himself. Some inspectors carry a short crow- 

 bar for opening difficult doors. 



Car-door inspection is more or less unsatisfactory when several 

 grades are shown in the doors. Sometimes the inspector is able to 



