Types and Market Classes of Live Stock 355 



cars of hogs made gains ranging from 290 to 1,380 pounds per car and 

 averaging 6.23 pounds per head on the usual fill of corn and water. 

 This was the increase in weight as shown by weighing the hogs on their 

 arrival at the yards and again after feeding and watering. 



Seasonal variations in receipts and sale of hogs at Chicago. — Fig. 

 132 shows the average monthly receipts of hogs at Chicago for ten 

 years. Largest receipts occur in November, December, January, and 

 February, especially in December and January. Smallest receipts 

 occur in August and September. Over twice as many hogs are re- 

 ceived in January as in September. A marked rise in receipts begins 

 in October and continues into February, followed by a decline during 

 late February, March, and April. A smaller rise occurs in May and 

 June, followed by a progressive decline during July, August, and Sep- 

 tember. The number of hogs marketed monthly varies much more 

 widely than that of cattle, and almost as much as that of sheep. 



The large winter receipts are due to the marketing of the pig crop 

 of the previous spring. The smaller bulge in May and June results 

 from the marketing of considerable numbers of hogs that were farrowed 

 in the previous fall, of which a much smaller number are raised than of 

 spring pigs. 



The chart shows that most of the hogs received in each month at 

 Chicago are slaughtered there. A yearly average of 20 per cent are 

 shipped to other points for slaughter. Less than one-fourth of 1 per 

 cent are shipped for feeding, too few to represent graphically in the 

 chart. (Compare this chart with similar charts on pages 81 and 242.) 



Weights of hogs at seven markets. — There is considerable differ- 

 ence in the yearly average weights of the hogs received at various 

 markets. Omaha and Sioux City receive heavier hogs than Chicago, 

 while those received at St. Louis, Kansas City, and St. Paul average 

 lighter: 1 



Yearly average weights of hags at seven markets for eight years 



1922 1921 1920 1919 1918 1917 1916 1915 



Eight-year 

 average 



Omaha 256 257 246 245 249 238 221 251 



Sioux City 259 252 246 251 248 225 231 246 



St. Joseph 235 235 235 227 230 228 219 228 



Chicago 239 234 235 233 234 213 210 219 



St. Paul 221 212 218 222 206 184 191 213 



Kansas City 196 211 200 191 201 192 193 200 



St. Louis 181 185 183 181 182 177 185 187 



245 

 245 

 230 

 227 

 208 

 198 

 183 



General average 227 227 223 221 221 208 207 221 



219 



The yearly average weight of market hogs varies in response to 

 the relative price of hogs and corn. When hogs are relatively scarce 



1 Drovers Journal Year Books of Figures. 



