TYPES AND MARKET CLASSES OF LIVE STOCK 233 



Throw outs. When bands of lambs reach Chicago, they 

 are at once sorted into the mutton and feeder classes. The 

 buyer of the feeders usually has the privilege of rejecting those 

 suitable for feeding purposes. The rejections, called "throw- 

 outs," are made up of lambs that are lame, unthrifty, blind, un- 

 castrated, undocked, over weight, under weight, badly wrinkled, 

 sore mouthed, burry, black, low backed, or open fleeced. They 

 are purchased by small city butchers who have a cheap trade. 

 They sell at cull-lamb or medium-lamb prices. 



Dead sheep. Sheep which die in transit are valued chiefly 

 for their wool. If mangled and badly trampled, they are worth- 

 less, and fifty per cent, of dead sheep reach the market in this 

 condition. 



Goats. These are sold for slaughter if they are in good 

 condition, but do not bring as high price as sheep. The supply 

 is limited. Thin goats are often taken to the country to clean 

 up brush land. 



Sheep Prices at Chicago. 



Chicago prices during 1918. The lowest and highest prices 

 paid in Chicago* on the open market for the various classes of 

 sheep in 1918 were as follows: Native mutton lambs, $8.00 

 $21.50; western mutton lambs, $8.00 $21.50; .spring lambs, 

 $6.00 $22.00; mutton yearlings (natives and westerns), $8.50 

 $20.00; native mutton sheep, $2.50 $17.50; western mutton 

 sheep, $3.00 $17.00; feeder lambs, $10.50 $21.75; feeder sheep 

 and yearlings, $4.50 $16.00; breeding ewes, $8.00 $19.00. 

 In each instance the highest price listed above represents a new 

 high record on the Chicago market, except breeding ewes which 

 established a record of $20.00 at Chicago in 1917. 



Market values of the various classes. The comparative 

 market values of the sub-classes of mutton sheep are shown 

 by the following table, giving the yearly average prices at Chicago 

 for the several sub-classes from 1909 to 1918, and also the aver- 

 ages for the entire ten-year period : 



* Year Book of Figures, 1919. 



