s 
BULLETIN" 980, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
-tion a misdemeanor subject to a fine of such proportions that it would 
tend to discourage quickly this unfair practice. 
The easiest and quickest way of making a car-door inspection is 
for the inspector to stand on the ground in front of the open door 
and form his opinion regarding grades after looking at the exposed 
bales. If no grade variation is shown by any of the bales he may be 
able to grade the hay fairly well from the ground. Many inspectors, 
however, are more painstaking than this in making car-door inspec- 
tions. They carry a short light ladder about 6 feet long, which 
enables them to get a close view of the hay even at the top of the 
car. TThen cars are not loaded to the roof in the doorway they get 
into the car. so as to see as many bales as possible. Some thorough 
inspectors examine the hay in the opposite doorway if they are 
in doubt regarding grade after viewing the hay in the first doorway. 
Fig. 1. — Inspecting hay by ear-door caethod. 
There are factors which sometimes make car-door inspection very 
difficult. Closeness of the car tracks is one. Crowded cars make a 
poor light for inspection. Sometimes a newly painted red car will 
reflect light in such a way that it is practically impossible for an 
inspector to judge the true color of the hay. Some inspectors under 
such conditions pull out samples from several bales and carry them 
to a place where the light is good. When the sky is overcast it is 
sometimes impossible to distinguish the very slight difference in color 
that differentiates the two grades. Again, at times car doors are not 
opened to their full extent. Under such conditions the inspector 
may be unable to open the door and may be obliged to put a grade 
on the hay from the little portion he can see, making his work very 
unsatisfactory even to himself. Some inspectors carry a short crow- 
bar for opening difficult doors. 
Car-door inspection is more or less unsatisfactory when several 
grades are shown in the doors. Sometimes the inspector is able to 
