14 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



grain raising largely. They are going to take that farm and 

 get every dollar out of it they can. They do not put the money 

 into a herd of cattle on those farms, as did the original owners. 

 I believe that is the prime cause. The renter will simply' go out 

 and buy a grade or common animal which he can buy anywhere 

 for from fifty to sixty dollars. Those are the men who sell their 

 stock and cattle ; thqse are the men who raise feeders in the 

 State of Iowa today. I think a change is coming. I believe it 

 is easier to sell well bred animals today than it has been for the 

 last few years. You have got to overcome the fact that the 

 owners have put their farms out for rent, and these renters are 

 selling grain instead of raising good beef. 



Mr. Trigg: If you buy a steer at four cents a pound and 

 keep him a year, and land is worth SlOO an acre, and you finish 

 him of and put him to market on corn worth fifty cents a bushel, 

 what price have you got to have to make a profit? 



Mr. Ames: With Mr. Trigg's permission I will answer that 

 question by asking Mr. William Drury to state what it cost him 

 to winter a bunch of cattle last winter. 



Mr. Drury: I did not expect that I would be called upon to 

 make a statement to you gentlemen here. I happen to know 

 very closely what it cost, having bought all my feed in the shape 

 of snapped corn and fodder, and invoicing my hay at the same 

 price it was bought. I fed SI, 000 worth of feed to 100 head of 

 cattle from the first day of January to the 29th day of April. I 

 weighed the cattle in on the first of January and I weighed them 

 out on the 29th day of April again. I figured my gain and had 

 an average gain of SlOO, or equal to the SI, 000 for the feed, or 

 S400 gain 



Mr. Trigg: Did you think that paid? 



Mr. Drury: No, sir. 



Mr. Martin: Has it not been the experience of every feeder 

 in the State of Iowa, in the past two years, that long feeds have 

 lost money all the time. 



(Several voices). Yes, yes; short ones too. 



Mr. Ames: There are no cattle that bring so little today for 

 the killing value as the steer fed from sixty to one hundred days. 

 You may go out and see the best kinds of meats; you can go 

 into the country shop and select prime bodies that are sold today 

 from S4 to S4.35; those cattle have eaten from sixty to one hun- 



