The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1880-03-11
Shipping Farm Products.

An enormous sum is lost by western
farmers every year by the careless man.
ner in which they send their products
to market. They are not particular in
sorting the articles they consign to city
dealers. They often mix small quanti-
ty of a poor article with large quantity
of good one because it is convenient
to do SO in order to make up carload,
or, as is more commonly the case, be-
cause they think the presence of the
former will not be noticed. They are
always mistaken in the matter. If the
article mixed is grain, the State in
spectors notice it as soon as they ex-
anime the contents of the car, and they
proceed to grade the entire lot accord
ing to the value of the poorest portion;
the consequence is that the farmer or
shipper loses on the larger portion of
the carload the difference between the
value of the best and poorest samples of
grain. 1t is sometimes the case that
the contents of car are purchased by
miller, or some person who is ship
ping grain to the East, before the grain
is emptied into warehouse. In this
case he buys the lot on its merits, and
gives more for it than it would bring If
it took the usual course of grain that is
stored. But when this happens less is
realized for the car of grain than if the
different lots had been kept separate.
The presence of small amount of
red corn in q carload that is chiefly
white or yellow will greatly injure its
appearance and cause the entire lot to
be graded lower than if it was all of the
same color. A small proportion of
colored barley in large lot that is not
colored will cause the whole to be in
spected as belonging to a lower grade.
Farmers often think they will be gain
ers by mixing little inferior grain with
that which is of q superior quality, but
in every instance they are losers. It
would be better for them to feed the
poor grain to fowls and animals, or even
to burn it, than to send it to market
along with grain that would be graded
high and consequently command good
price. The presence of a few oats in q
bushel of wheat or rye will cause it to
be graded low and sold at a CORE
spending low price. A pint of colored
beans in barrel of white ones will de-
tract much from the price of the lot.
Fat cattle, sheep and hogs should be
sent to market in lots that can be sold
without sorting the animals into differ
emit grades. A mixed lot of fat animals
will rarely if ever sell for their average
value. Three or four small or poorly
fattened beeves, hogs, or sheep in car
load will bring down the price of all the
others. It is often the case that the lot
would sell for more if the poor specimens
were out of the way. Their presence
reduces the price of the good animals.
What is true of live animals is true of
those that are dressed. In a ca, load of
dressed hogs to bring the highestmarket
price there should not be a greater diff
ference of weight between them than
fifty pounds. All the hogs may be we'll
fattened and in good condition, still If
they vary considerably in size they will
all be sold at the price "mixed lots''
bring in the market. Turkeys, chick
ems, ducks and geese as well as cattle,
sheep and hogs, should be sent to
market in even lots. Spring chickens
that are true to name should not he
placed in packages with those that wers
spring chickens five or six years ago.
All the fowls packed in the same box
should be of nearly the same age, weight
and general appearance. One old gaunt
bird will iniure the appearance and re-
duce the price of all that are sent in tho
same package with it. Commission
merchants, as q rule, have neither time
nor facilities for sorting the live or dead
animals and fowls that are consigned
to them. They sell them as they receive
them for the price they will bring.
Farmers who wish to realize the highest
price must do their own sorting
Chicago Tines.