574 MAIZE 



chap, where some unscrupulous manufacturer or oversea dealer has put 



XII. 



lighter-weight bags in the centre of the bale, to the annoyance 

 and loss of the farmer. The bags now in general use measure 

 44 x 26 or 27 inches, and cost about 40s. per 100 f.o.r. Durban, 

 or 7cl. each wholesale, and gd. each retailed in small lots, in 

 the interior. If not badly damaged, they sell on delivery in 

 Europe for about 3^d. apiece. Some farmers and merchants 

 have advocated the use of 3 lb. bags as more serviceable and 

 more generally useful than the 2\ lbs. weight, but it is con- 

 sidered that the latter, if made of good quality twill, should be 

 sufficiently serviceable. Some even advocate the use of 2\ lb. 

 bags on account of their lower cost, and the fact that they are 

 used in the Argentine maize trade ; the price paid in Argentina 

 is said to be about 4d. wholesale, as compared with 5-Vd. whole- 

 sale at the coast, in South Africa, for the heavier bag ; buyers 

 would allow 2d. for these bags in England ; the difference of 

 r.Vd. per muid or 3^cl. per quarter, although in favour of the 

 South African shipper, would not, it is believed, compensate 

 for the loss and inconvenience entailed by the use of the lighter 

 bag. H.B.M. Consul at Rosario, Argentina, reports that owing 

 to the poor quality and irregular sizes of the bags used in the 

 Argentine trade, a large quantity of grain is lost in handling, 

 and that shippers of Argentine maize are endeavouring to 

 arrange for the use of stronger bags of uniform size, recog- 

 nizing that the saving of grain now lost, and the greater 

 facility in handling and storing bags of uniform size, would 

 more than compensate for the slight increase in cost. 



At Bahia Blanca the bags on arrival are ripped open by 

 men armed with sharp knives, the grain is poured into the 

 ship's hold and the empty bags are returned. 



For retail in Europe, bags of close, heavy twill, carrying 

 240 lbs. (half a "quarter") are used. These are returned to 

 the wholesale merchant, by the buyer, or retained at a charge 

 of is. 6d. each. It has been suggested that South Africa might 

 ship in this half-quarter sack ; but it is too expensive, the trade 

 does not ask for it, and the 240 lbs. bag is too heavy to handle 

 on the farm and at the store. It has even been suggested 

 that 120 lbs. bags (quarter of a "quarter") should be used ; 

 but this would mean a higher total cost for bagging, and it 

 would be inconvenient, as the South African unit of weight is 



