Types and Market Classes of Live Stock 371 



carried to greater weights and higher finish they would class as butcher 

 hogs. They are too fat, too short of body, or are otherwise not adapted 

 for bacon use, and do not have the size, weight, and finish required of 

 butcher hogs. They dress from 75 to 76 per cent shipper style, and 67 

 to 68 per cent packer style. In recent years the demand for yorkers 

 has increased to a marked degree and the class is now one of consider- 

 able importance. 



Light lights are of lighter weights than any of the preceding classes, 

 ranging from 130 to 150 pounds. They are called "light lights" be- 

 cause they are the lightest class of light hogs. The St. Paul market 

 and some other markets call them "light yorkers," and do not include 

 light lights in their market classification. They are also sometimes 

 referred to as "heavy pigs." They are used principally for the fresh 

 meat trade. They dress 74 to 75 per cent shipper style, and 66 to 67 

 per cent packer style. 



Light mixed are mixed loads of light hogs ranging from 200 pounds 

 downward. They often include a varying number of pigs. Many 

 such loads sell to packers without sorting, and other loads containing 

 a considerable number of bacon hogs, yorkers, and feeder pigs may be 

 sold to speculators who sort and resell. It should be understood that 

 there are hogs (other than roughs and boars) of yorker and bacon 

 weights which for one reason or another cannot be classed as yorkers 

 or bacon hogs. Such light hogs are coarse, poor in condition, and 

 decidedly on the plain and common order. No special class is provided 

 for them. They comprise a varying proportion of mixed loads of pack- 

 ing and light hogs sold to packer buyers, and their carcasses are classed 

 as packing carcasses, though hogs of these weights are not classed as 

 packing hogs on the live-stock markets. ^ 



Pigs 



Pigs, as they are considered on the market, range in weight from 

 50 to 130 pounds. All pigs within these limits bought for slaughter 

 classify here. They are used principally to supply the demand from 

 the cheaper restaurants and lunch counters, and are in greatest demand 

 in winter, being hard to preserve fresh in summer and too young to 

 cure. They ordinarily dress 68 to 74 per cent shipper style. 



Feeder Pigs 



Prior to 1914 federal regulations prevented the shipment of hogs 

 from public stock yards for any purpose except immediate slaughter, ^ 



'As stated in Chapter XXIV, light packing carcasses range downward in weight 

 to 100 pounds. 



^Arthur C. Davenport: The American Live Stock Market — How It Func- 

 tions, p. 81. 



