24 BULLETIN 873, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
it is the loss of water in most instances, and not dry matter, that hide 
a bearing on the practical side of the question. 
Gonsidered purely from a farm-management siAndaoiee shrinkage 
in storage always means a certain initial loss to the producer, inas- 
much as the handling, hauling, and storing of hay containing an 
excess of water increases the cost of production by requiring extra 
labor and time to handle the excess weight. Sometimes this extra 
cost is more than offset by improvement in the quality of.the hay, 
‘because it is stored as soon as it is safe to haul, and thus cures out 
properly in the barn or stack. The extra expense of handling heavy, 
improperly cured hay that will afterwards spoil by heating, however, 
is an absolute loss that can not be recovered when the hay is sold 
or fed. 
THE PRODUCER DOES NOT LOSE. 
The shrinkage of hay does not cause a direct money loss to the 
producer who feeds his hay, for the water lost has no actual feeding 
value, and there is just as great a total of nutrients in a barn of hay 
after a normal shrinkage has taken place as there was when the hay 
was put into the barn. In calculating rations, however, it will be 
necessary to feed a smaller amount of thoroughly cured hay to fur- 
nish the required amount of nutrition than when feeding ‘“‘green”’ 
hay (see definition, p. 31) containing an excess of water. For this 
reason the producer who grows hay for feeding on the farm need not 
be concerned about the so-called loss from shrinkage. 
When hay is grown for the market, shrinkage sometimes involves a 
money loss under the present system of marketing, though not to the 
crower. Hay is not graded according to the percentage of water 
contained, asis corn. Hay containing more than the normal amount 
of water is often shipped to market. This kind of hay does not 
always bring top prices, however, for if it is ‘‘hot’’ it may be graded 
down, until the price not only makes allowance for the excess weight 
of water contained, but also for the damage (discoloration, etc.) 
resulting from excessive heating during shrinkage. When hay which 
has passed through the sweat, but still contains a higher water con- 
tent than normal is shipped to market, the producer is paid for the 
extra water therein at the rate paid for the hay itself. This selling 
of water at the price of market hay is allowable at present, but when 
a deliberate attempt is made to make and market hay with a water 
content above normal it very nearly approaches, in theory, at least 
what may be called ‘“‘sharp practice.”’ 
The hay grower, however, should not be blamed entirely for 
attempting to avoid what he may think is likely to be an actual loss 
by shrinkage. in 1882 Jordan *° advocated that the hay grower 
20Jordan, W. H. Experiments and investigations conducted at the Pennsylvania State College, 
1881-82. p. 7-14. [Unnumbered publication.) 
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