FIFTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART VI. 371 



SOME SUGGESTIONS TO CATTLE FEEDERS. 



Chas. O. Robinson, in Wallaces' Farmer. 



It is fully as important to know what not to do as to know what to do. 

 In fact most of the mistakes in management and methods made by cattle 

 feeders arise from lack of knowledge of conditions governing the varying 

 demand for different classes and weights of cattle, hence in many instances 

 they do the right thing but at the wrong time. The purpose of this article 

 is to offer some suggestions which we hope may be found helpful in pointing 

 out a few of the rocks in the feeders pathway and outlining a shorter and 

 more direct road to the desired objective point. Being upon the market 

 every day we have ample opportunity to observe wherein feeders err both in 

 the feeding and marketing of their cattle. 



For example, it is by no means unusual for a feeder to fatten a light 

 weight drove of steers to come to market at a time when beeves of heavy 

 weight are in most demand and the best sellers, or vice versa. This of 

 course does not apply to yearlings, there being a steady and reliable de- 

 mand for well fattened "baby beef" at all times and seasons. Perhaps the 

 most common error is that of feeding heavy cattle into a hot weather market; 

 that is, for shipment during the latter part of May and the months of June 

 and July, when light handy-weight carcasses are required by the trade. 



Steers scaling one thousand four hundred to one thousand five hundred 

 pounds are good sellers any time between the first of August and the first of 

 April, but during the last half of April and the months of May, June and 

 July the handy-weights are most sought after and are the best sellers. Al- 

 though a few loads of heavy cattle can be disposed of to fair advantage 

 during the latter months the demand centers principally upon the light 

 weights. A few years ago the export trade demanded cattle as heavy as 

 could be had , but this is changed and the same conditions now apply abroad 

 as in this country. While heavier cattle are used by the exporters during 

 the winter months the last of April and forepart of May they begin to call 

 for steers weighing one thousand three hundred to one thousand four 

 hundred pounds. 



Last June we received a consignment of steers that averaged one thousand 

 nine hundred pounds on the market. They were of course entirely too 

 heavy, and only one or two buyers could use them at any price. It is a law 

 of trade that the less competition there is for any commodity the lower the 

 price must be, hence feeders should diligently endeavor to cater to the 

 demands of the market, thus insuring the broadest possible competition for 

 their cattle. While the owner of the one thousand nine hundred-pound 

 beeves alluded to above was producing them he could have fed and turned 

 off two crops of steers, turning his investment twice instead of once, and, 

 what is more important, realizing a profit instead of sustaining a loss, as 

 there can be no money in producing cattle of the above extreme weight 

 under present conditions. Our experience teaches us that short-fed cattle, 

 as a rule, make the most money; that where good thin cattle weighing eight 

 hundred to nine hundred pounds are bought during the months of October 

 and November they can be carried along on fall pasture, cornstalks, and 

 other cheap feed, until— say the first of March, feeding a little corn during 



