50 
Farmers' Bulletin 1055. 
nient serves only to invite penalties in the form of low prices, not 
only for those sold at the time but also for future offerings, as 
dealers, brokers, and tanners, remembering the defective hides and 
skins and anticipating more, make their price arrangements as a 
matter of protection. Often these prices are inequitable, because the 
penalties generally are spread over all hides of the country de- 
scription. 
Because of the existence very generally of these inferior qualities, 
of the lack of careful selection and classification, and of the apparent 
inclination of many persons connected with the trade to magnify 
and to capitalize alleged defects, many of the country-hide producers 
feel that no amount of precaution and efficiency on their part would 
be rewarded by better prices. Though some of them realize that 
hides have values and that these values depend largely on careful- 
ness and efficiency in skinning and curing, they often, because of the 
evil repute of country hides and skins as a class, fail to find a ready 
market at reasonable prices, even though the hides they offer have 
been handled properly. 
SELECTED AND GRADED SALES COMPARED WITH 
FLAT SALES. 
When a producer is paid as much for hides and skins which have 
cuts, scores, fleshings, horns, dewclaws, tail bones, sinews, hair slips, 
salt stains, poor pattern and trim, dragged spots, brands, grubs, and 
other imperfections as for those which are comparatively perfect, he 
is paid a premium for inefficiency and has no incentive to improve 
his methods or to strive for greater conservation. This applies to a 
less extent when hides are sold on a graded basis with only light pen- 
alties for the results of carelessness. 
No farmer would sell a fat steer for the price of an old cow. 
There is no more reason for selling perfect hides and imperfect ones 
at the same price, for the chances are that the price will be on the 
basis of the inferior ones. 
The hitherto almost universal practice of selling country hides 
and skins at flat prices without regard to selections and grades based 
upon quality, weight, and condition has contributed in a large way 
to the present condition of country hides and skins, with the conse- 
quent tanner's aversion to them and the wide margin between the 
market prices of such hides and of packer hides. The practice of 
flat selling is not suited to modern methods of marketing and has 
been abandoned by all progressive producers and merchants in nearly 
every line of merchandise. 
A long stride forward was made when the War Industries Board 
in 1918 issued orders requiring all hides and skins to be sold by 
