THE MARKETING OF MILL FEEDS. 19 



be marked with tags, obtainable from State officials having charge 

 of the inspection work, at a certain amount for a given number, or 

 provide for stamps to be attached to tags. 



PRESENT NEEDS OF THE TRADE. 



Many improvements are needed in the methods of marketing feed- 

 stuffs. Uniformity in the chief factors of marketing is probably the 

 outstanding need. 



UNIFORM STANDARDS FOR WHEAT FEEDS. 



Although definitions for wheat feeds and ingredients thereof have 

 been established, standards of quality have not been promulgated 

 and are greatly needed. There are, for instance, thousands of millers 

 in the United States whose ideas as to what should constitute bran 

 and shorts and middlings seem highly variable. It is thought that if 

 type samples could be agreed upon and could be placed in the hands 

 of every miller and feed inspection department for guidance with 

 respect to the observance of the feedstuffs laws, such arrangement 

 would be of great benefit to the trade. Such a measure would enable 

 buyers to determine the grade of feed they could expect to be applied 

 on their contracts. 



At present, unless the buyer stipulates in his contract the name of 

 the mill whose product he desires, he does not know the quality of 

 fe«d that will be delivered to him. He may buy by sample and in 

 that case the feed he receives should be equal to the sample. To 

 stipulate in a contract that the product of a particular mill is de- 

 sired, while it affords some protection, does not always mean that the 

 product of that mill will be received. Breakdowns, or inability to 

 obtain wheat, may tempt that mill to purchase from competitors in 

 order to fill its contracts, in which case usually its bags are furnished 

 to the other mill in which to make shipment. This would lead the 

 buyer to believe that what he receives is the product he contracted 

 for. It should be stated, however, that in such cases every effort is 

 made by the contracting mill to secure feeds of equal quality with 

 those of its own manufacture, and that often buyers will receive a 

 feed superior in quality to that which they expected to get. 



A UNIFORM FEED LAW. 



As a rule, State regulations pertaining to the sale of feedstuffs are 

 intended merely to disclose to the purchaser the character of the 

 feeds offered for sale, as feeds properly tagged or marked, although 

 of inferior quality, may be legally sold when registered. State agri- 

 cultural departments generally require that manufacturers and ship- 

 pers doing business in their respective States file with the depart- 

 ment a statement showing the ingredients contained in the feed in- 

 tended to be sold and its guaranteed analysis. If a sale is made in 

 the State, the manufacturer or shipper is bound to see that the feed 

 shipped in complies with such regulations. These rules, however, do 

 not always protect the feed consumer to the extent desired. 



Because dealers, shippers, and manufacturers are liable to prosecu- 

 tion in the event an analysis of feed offered for sale is not in accord- 

 ance with that guaranteed at the time of registration, the protein 



