MARKETING SWINE 307 



ployes of this firm take charge of the cars as they arrive, 

 unload the hogs, count out the individuals, take charge of 

 any dead ones that may be in the car, and deliver the re- 

 maining ones (or all of the shipment if there are none 

 dead) to the commission firm to which the car is billed. 

 The commission firm then feeds, waters and sells the 

 bunch. If any dead hogs are in the car, they are noted 

 and the shipper is given credit for the same at the rate of 

 75 cents per hundred pounds weight, provided the hog 

 weighs more than one hundred pounds. The weight, 

 however, is estimated and not obtained by weighing. 



The expenses for selling hogs on the large markets, as 

 for instance in Chicago, consist of eight cents per head 

 for yardage, and one dollar per bushel for corn, which 

 amount goes to the stock yards company for the use 

 of its pens. There usually also is a switching charge 

 which is for taking the car from the railroad company and 

 hauling it over private track to the chutes where it is un- 

 loaded. This consists of from one to two dollars per car. 

 The commission firm charges for its work of selling the 

 hogs eight dollars per single deck car, but by smaller 

 lots the charge is thirty cents per head. With these 

 charges deducted the balance is remitted to the owner 

 except that, as the hogs pass over the scales before they 

 go to the buyer, ten cents per car is also charged to pay 

 the expenses of the government inspector who inspects 

 them at this point to note and take out any individuals 

 that show external symptoms of disease. These are taken 

 and slaughtered under inspection, and if found to be dis- 

 eased to such an extent that the carcass is unfit for food, 

 the loss falls upon the owner. If they are found not to 

 be diseased they go into the regular channels of the trade 

 and the price of the hog is remitted to the owner. 



