UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
j| BULLETIN No. 977 
Contribution from the 
Bureau of Markets and Crop Estimates 
H. C. TAYLOR, Chief 
4\J&'<?^TU 
Washington, D. C. 
October 18, 1921 
MARKETING HAY AT COUNTRY POINTS. 
By H. B. McCltjre, Specialist in Marketing Hay, and G. A. Collier, Investigator 
in Marketing Hay. 
CONTENTS. 
Page. 
Effect of present methods of prepa- 
ration 2 
Importance of time of cutting 2 
Improper curing 3 
Faulty methods of baling 5 
Production of undesirable mix- 
tures 8 
Page. 
Marketing hay at country points 9 
Function of country shipper 9 
Competition between shippers 10 
General practices . 11 
Cost of marketing hay by producer- 20 
Methods of handling hay at ship- 
ping point 21 
Ever since hay has been marketed extensively the hay trade has 
constantly wrestled with the vexing problem of what to do with low- 
grade hay— that is, hay that has been improperly prepared or is of a 
mixture that causes it to be regarded as of a low grade. Such hay is 
hard to dispose of. Indeed, so serious has this perplexing problem 
become that at present the only solution has seemed to lie in keeping 
this kind of hay entirely off the market. 
Since this trouble has been in existence for years, it might be sup- 
posed the producer had made an effort to correct a practice which 
is causing him a loss of thousands of dollars annually. That he has 
not done so is due to two important facts : ( 1 ) The producer and the 
dealers do not as yet agree as to what constitutes qualit}?- in hay, and 
(2) many producers lack vital market information regarding the 
preparation of hay for terminal and consuming markets. 
A recent and comprehensive survey of the important hay markets 
of the United States has revealed the rather striking fact that a 
large percentage of our present marketing difficulties originates on 
the farm, that a thorough knowledge of market requirements on the 
part of the producer would result in less low-grade hay, and that this 
would in turn solve in part at least the ever-present problem of 
what to do with low-grade hay. The purpose of this bulletin is to 
53222°— 21— Bull. 977 1 
