40 BULLETIN 979. U. S. DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE. 
sections. For example, mining sections seem willing to accept a much 
lower grade of hay for No. 1 timothy than small markets with a 
retail trade. The price is also given consideration, and buyers fre- 
quently specify No. 1 hay and then refuse to pay more than the 
price of No. 2. Shippers in the various markets in competition for 
business have made use of these conditions to such an extent that 
quotations and sales by grade have come to have but little meaning. 
These conditions have also led to the substitution of certain terms 
for the numerical grades, such as " Choice timothy hay,'' " Good 
feeding hay," etc. The need for the term " Choice timothy hay " has 
developed because of the tendency on the part of the shippers to 
lower the quality of No. 1 hay to agree with the ideas of the least 
exacting purchasers, and in some instances the grade represented by 
" Choice timothy hay " has also been lowered, as is evidenced by a 
number of samples examined by representatives of the Bureau of 
Markets, which were found to be lower than the recognized standards 
for No. 1 timothy. 
Many shippers who desire to build up a permanent trade with 
their customers are supplementing the numerical grade designation 
with descriptive phrases in order to make clear the character of the 
hay offered or sold. This, it is claimed, eliminates many of the 
difficulties encountered when hay is sold by grade only. 
The greatest care should be used in describing the character of the 
hay when confirming the sale, in order that as little difficulty as 
possible may be experienced when the hay is received by the buyer. 
The fact that descriptive terms are needed indicates that present 
grade terms are inadequate or are at least not sufficiently clear. The 
Bureau of Markets is at present engaged in the study of market 
grades for the purpose of determining wherein they are deficient, 
and, if possible, of constructing grades or standards that will be 
adequate for the use of the whole trade in the purchase and sale of 
hay. 
TIME OF SHIPMENT. 
The trade terms used to denote -the time within which a shipment 
may be made have been defined by trade associations, and their use 
is fairly uniform throughout the country. These terms are: Imme- 
diate shipment, which has been interpreted as three calendar days; 
quick shipment, five calendar days ; and prompt shipment, ten calen- 
dar days (Sundays and holidays excluded). For shipments 
which are to be made within a period longer than 10 days the time 
is usually stated. Sales are frequently for " scattered shipment." 
This means that the hay is to be shipped a car or two at a time at 
a rate as uniform as possible over a given period. The advantage 
of this method is that it assures the buyer of a constant supply at a 
