GREEN FORAGE AND HAY CROPS 103 
Marsh Hay.— Along the coast of the New England States there 
are extensive acres of salt marshes that furnish considerable quanti- 
ties of hay for stock feeding. The marshes are cut at low tide, 
generally at a time when the grasses are in bloom. The yield of 
cured hay secured varies from one-half to one ton to the acre. The 
hay from these tide marshes contains about 6 per cent protein, 2 
per cent fat, and 30 per cent fiber; its digestibility does not differ 
greatly from that of common hay. Throughout the country there 
are also large stretches of marshes that are cut for hay, especially 
in dry seasons. The composition and general value of such marsh 
hay are similar to those of salt marsh hay; the better kinds of these 
grasses make a fair quality of rough feed, of a similar value as 
cornstalks. - 
Market Hay.—The growing of hay for the market is an im- 
portant industry, especially in the northeast and western States. It 
is estimated that about one-fifth of the 1908 hay crop in this 
country, or over 15,000,000 tons, was removed from the farms and 
sold on the local market or shipped to city hay markets. Hay 
markets supervised by an organization of hay dealers are established 
in a number of our larger cities which provide for official inspection 
of the hay sold, and for standard quotations and methods of weigh- 
ing.75 These markets recognize five grades of hay, viz., the stand- 
ard grades: Choice, No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3, and “ No-grade” 
hay. The following kinds of hay are quoted and sold on these 
markets: Timothy, clover-mixed, prairie, midland, packing hay, 
and alfalfa.1¢ 
The percentages of different grades of timothy'‘on the market 
are about as follows, according to McClure: Choice, 10 per cent, 
and No. 1, 20 to 30 per cent, leaving 60 to 70 per cent of all market 
hay to grade as No. 2, No. 3, or “ No-grade.” When shipped to the 
market the hay is put up in bales of different dimensions. The 
statement given below shows the sizes of standard hay bales in 
common use. 
Standard Sizes of Hay Bales 
Dimensions ae 
14X18 X38 E 
Small bales..............4- a (ia X18 aap 70-100 
re 17 X22 36 e 
Middle-sized bales............ { 18X22 sey 100-150 
Large-sized bales............. 22X28 X46 150-250 
1° Farmers’ Bulletin 508; Vermont Bulletin 171. 
©The requirements for market hay of the different grades are given in 
Farmers’ Bulletin 508; see also Woll, Handbook, p. 406 @ and 6. 
