178 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



]\lr. Downing: They will Ite weighed as soon as they arrive in 

 Chicago, and then they will be weighed again after they are sold, 

 so as to ascertain the fill at Chicago. By weighing them before 

 they are put aboard the cars, and weighing as soon as they ar- 

 rive, we find the shrink en route; then weighing after they are 

 sold will give the fill. 



I would like to advise the gentleman Avho just spoke that the 

 only way we can arrive at a normal shrink is to take an a'.'erage 

 of a large number of records. We take the history of the cattle 

 en route to market, including the weather, the number of hours 

 of the trip, and anything that will have an influence on them. We 

 also take the history of the feeding, the age. how far they have 

 been driven, whether they are loaded full or dry, and everything 

 previous to the loading that would have an influence on the 

 shrink. For instance, on a shipment of five cars from Sheridan, 

 ^Yyo.. to Chicago, they arrived at 1 :40 in the morning, and had 

 an average shrink of 07 ])oun(ls. Tlie following week the same 

 kind of cattle from the same point, under similar conditions, had 

 a net shrink of 57 ])ounds. AVe couldn't take either one of those 

 as a basis, but if we have a large number of records, with a de- 

 tailed history, we will possibly find out what an excessive shrink 

 is, or, where there is a very light shrink, some of the causes — 

 although we haven't penetrated that feature of the problem yet. 

 As I understand it, the method of arriving at a normal shrink 

 will be to take the average of a large number of records. I"p to 

 the present time I have personally weighed over 2,500 range 

 cattle. 



]\Ir. Drury : T think dilTerently from our friend ^Nlurra.v. I 

 believe this is a move in the right direction. I ])elieve we will 

 demonstrate to the railro.-ul companies that if the.v will give us 

 time insiead of tonnage, it will be to their advantage and ours. T 

 believe after taking these records for several months we will have 

 conclusive evidence thai this long time on the train benefits no 

 one. If you start a steer to Chicago and bum him around on 

 the road and make him dead on his feet when he gets in tliere, 

 the eastern man doesn't want him, and the local man knows he 

 will get him because the eastern num will not take him. But if 

 that steer is laid down there as fresh as possible, you will lune 

 less shrink, and the butcher who bu.vs him will have more meat. 



^fr. Doran : I would like to ask Air. Downing if he is keep- 

 ing track of the time spent on 1he road. 



