THIRD ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART XI. 637 



worth. The kind or class you buy will depend largely upon your surround- 

 ings and the time of year but you will certainly take those which in your 

 judgment will make you the most money. In order to determine this we 

 find four factors, three of which are known: the cost price, the feed bill 

 and the average gain per day or ratio between feed and gain. The 

 fourth member of the equation is more uncertain and at times very diffi- 

 cult to control, namely the selling price. If this were known the solution 

 would be easy but as many of us can testify, such is not the case. 



In the selling market are four well defined grades of beef cattle: the 

 choice, good, medium and poor. In one of these four market divisions 

 the feeder must place his finished product and his profit or loss be esti- 

 mated from the price obtained. This being true it will be well to examine 

 these divisions a little as a help toward selecting your feeders. 



In the division of choice cattle you will find only the very best bred 

 cattle. Those as good or better than registered stock and always a selected 

 bunch and fed to a finish. They must be prime in every way — in breed- 

 ing, style, finish, flesh, fat, form and weight. Cattle that occupy this ex- 

 alted place on the market are as a rule bred and fed by the same individual 

 and pushed from calfhood up and so need not be considered at this time. 

 In the next two divisions come the bulk of the cattle sold, the principal 

 difference being a matter of flesh and finish, the medium cattle covering 

 a wider range and not dressing out quite so large a per cent when slaugh- 

 tered. In the poor column a feeder should never be found for they are 

 invariably money losers. A person can hardly be called a feeder unless 

 he can make a medium fat steer out of a poor stocker. 



We find then the large majority of feed yard cattle are sold on the 

 market for what are known as useful cattle and to make these cattle with 

 the last possible expense is the business of the feeder. 



It is impossible to say just where to buy your feeders, for if any one 

 place were known to be the best we would all try to be there at once. 

 There is however a growing tendency among buyers to use the market 

 centers for this purpose, and on the whole it is a good plan with many 

 points in favor. You can get what you want and just when you want it. 

 Have more to select from and therefore an evener bunch of cattle. It 

 takes less time and may not cost any more. There are drawbacks to this 

 method as well, and not every man can be sure of getting just what he 

 was looking for the first time he tries. A word of caution may not be 

 out of place., 



Cattle will look different confined in a close pen than at home in a 

 large yard or open field. There is more danger of overlooking some 

 physical weakness in the short time you have made up your mind to 

 buy or not to buy. 



You may not have the right valuation of the cattle you are looking 

 at. A countryman is often known by his impetuosity. Don't be in a 

 hurry. You have more time than money at your disposal just now. The 

 cattle may be in no condition to buy at all for the reason of an extra fill. 

 You can supply matter at home cheaper than you can pay for it there. 

 Sixty pounds of water make a very material difference in the gains you 

 make during the feeding period. 



