THE SHRINKAGE OF MARKET HAY. 6 



the hay was found to be well dried. The bales from the green alfalfa were very light, 

 and the wires were so loose that the bales could scarcely be handled. There was 

 no good hay in any of these bales, and not much that would be eaten by stock. Much 

 of the hay was covered by a white mold, and some of it seemed to be partially rotten. 

 The hay which was baled when wilted and that baled from the cock was about of 

 the same grade, and but little better in quality than the hay which was baled when 

 green. The heavier and more closely pressed bales contained the best hay, but 

 none of it was salable hay, and the best of it was inferior for feeding. The hay which 

 was baled after being cured was seemingly as good a grade of hay as when baled, and 

 just as good as if it had been stacked. It had a good color and the leaves were well 

 retained. It would grade No. 1. 



It may be concluded from this experiment that it is not advisable to bale alfalfa 

 except when it is well cured and dry enough to stack * * * . (Kansas. State 

 Agricultural Experiment Station. Bui. 123. March, 1904. Pp. 230-232.) 



In this experiment an attempt was made to bale and market alfalfa in different 

 stages of curing. The interest centers around the baring of hay when wilted and 

 also in the sweat. It was found that such hay spoiled in the bale and was not even fit 

 for feeding. The loss by shrinkage in the bale amounted to about 45 per cent, which 

 was about the same as the loss in experiment 1, page 4. Thus it will be seen that 

 it is an error to class such material as hay and to regard loss of water as causing a loss 

 to the producer. The experiment also bears out the view that hay can not be classed 

 as hay unqualified, until it has passed through the "sweat' ' which is the final stage 

 of the curing process. It will be of interest to note that the hay which was well 

 cured and in condition to be baled lost only 6.2 per cent of water when stored so that 

 the air could circulate freely between the bales. 



Commercial dealers in hay, on the other hand, sometimes sustain 

 actual money losses on account of shrinkage, as, for example, when 

 partially cured hay, containing more than the normal percentage of 

 water, is delayed too long in transit, or when it is held for a con- 

 siderable length of time in storage. If such hay is kept moving 

 rapidly through the successive steps of marketing any loss that may 

 be entailed by shrinkage will be so distributed that it will not seriously 

 affect anyone, except, perhaps, the consumer. Even the latter does 

 not lose if he buys by the bale rather than by weight. 



Cases in which serious loss is entailed by shrinkage are the excep- 

 tion. Heavy shipments of "new" hay do not usually appear on the 

 market until after the process of shrinkage is practically over; indeed, 

 hay is not customarily classed as marketable until it is thoroughly 

 cured; that is, until it has almost ceased to shrink. Thus it appears 

 that no one has any real reason to feel seriously concerned over the 

 question of shrinkage, least of all the producer. 



As a matter of fact, however, a great many persons believe this 

 question to be a vital one. All farmers know, of course, that if 

 100 tons of hay, for example, is put into the barn early in July, there 

 may be a considerably smaller tonnage there three or six months 

 later. (See experiment 6, p. 5.) In some instances there may be 

 only 80 tons or even less when it is baled or weighed out several 

 months later. Many hay growers have been led to believe that, 

 in a case like this, a positive loss has been sustained of about one- 



