MARKETING HAY AT COUNTRY POINTS. 27 
the fact that there is a variation in the hay or (2) low grade hay is 
deliberately put in with the better hay in order to make a little 
more money out of the deal. 
The hay- standardization office of the United States Department of 
Agriculture has some very striking evidence of intentional " plug- 
ging " of cars. In one instance 25 bales of " Sample " timothy were 
put into a car containing 241 bales of No. 1 timothy. A separation 
analysis of one of the bales of off-grade hay showed it to contain 
55.30 per cent of timothy, 39.50 per cent of volunteer wheat hay, and 
4.50 per cent of weeds. 
When cars are intentionally loaded unevenly an attempt is always 
made to put the poor, low-priced hay in the corners or under the 
good hsij so that it can not be detected by a car-door inspection. 
Indeed, some shippers often succeed temporarily in this crooked prac- 
tice when hay is given a " plug " inspection. 
The old practice of invoicing all of a carload of hay as of the grade 
of the best hay is no longer considered an honest practice. In some 
of the markets receivers have begun to take steps that will tend to 
discourage the practice of loading cars unevenly, and inspectors are 
placing the lower grade on shipments which contain more than a 
reasonable percentage of such lower grade hay. 
The hay-marketing survey, previously referred to, has shown that 
two grades or more of hay may be loaded into a car and no trouble 
will result if the shipper invoices the hay for just what it is and not 
as all being of the best grade. 
