YOUNG CATTLE MUST BE FAT TO SELL WELL. 



Attention has already been called to the fact that the year- 

 ling must be fully finished to sell well. This fact, while so well 

 known to the experienced feeder, is so often overlooked that it 

 will bear further emphasizing in this connection. It seems to be 

 a well established law in the cattle trade that the older and 

 larger the animal is, the less fat beyond a certain point it is re- 

 quired to carry to sell well up toward the top of the market for 

 its class. It not infrequently occurs that heavy three year olds 

 will bring the top of the market for heavy cattle, while a yearling 

 equally fat would not sell within 50 cents of the market, and 

 might even be classed on the market as a well advanced feeder 

 rather than as a fat steer. In this connection the reader is again 

 referred to the replies from the commission men and packers in 

 relation to the factors affecting the demands of the market. One 

 cannot fail to be impressed with the unanimity with which these 

 men agree that the so-called dressed beef steer, or the 2 year 

 old, weighing from 1,300 to 1,400 pounds, is in most active de- 

 mand and sells at a better price one day with another, year after 

 year, than any other age or weight of similar quality and of 

 equal finish. It is furthermore significant that the feeder has 

 said with striking ^unanimity that the 2 year old steer weighing 

 between 1,300 and 1,400 pounds has returned him the greatest 

 profit. 



PRICES BROUGHT BY EXPERIMENTAL CATTLE OP DIPPER- 

 " ENTAGES. 



Some definite data on the relative selling qualities of cat- 

 tle of different ages have come out of the numerous experiments 

 in feeding cattle of different ages by different Experiment Sta- 

 tions. 



Taking the prices brought by cattle of different ages fed by 

 various Experiment Stations in recent years, we find the data 

 bear out the general assumption heretofore expressed. It 

 should be observed that in nearly every instance the cattle were 

 sold on the same market and on the same day and the figures 



