31 



grow them to this age and sell them to him with a sufficient 

 margin so that the feeding operation will prove profitable. 



If the raiser and feeder of cattle were the same man, it 

 would be but a short time until our cattle would be going to 

 market at from 14 to 18 months of age instead of from 30 to 36 

 months of age, under the conditions now prevailing in the corn 

 belt. Already there has been a marked tendency on the part 

 of the farmer on the high priced land in the corn belt to go out 

 of the business of raising beef cattle. This has been partic- 

 ularly true under the influence of the high prices for corn that 

 have prevailed in recent years and a steady advance in the price 

 of land and labor. This is very strikingly true of the best corn 

 regions of Illinois, Missouri and Iowa, and has forced the feeder 

 to rely more and more upon western or range cattle, which in 

 the meantime have been greatly improved in quality, so that a 

 two year old range steer now is as large and almost as mature 

 in form as was the three or four year old steer of twenty years 

 ago from the same region. In the meantime, however, land 

 values have advanced enormously in the range country, and the 

 ranchman is beginning to insist upon selling his cattle younger 

 and thus reduce expenses in making them. 



It may, therefore, be accepted as final that so long as the 

 cattle raiser, whether he be on high priced land in the corn belt 

 or on the ranches of the West, will supply cattle of moderate 

 maturity, such as two year olds, to the feeder at enough less per 

 pound than he will sell calves or yearlings to enable him to meet 

 the increased cost of gain required to make them fat, so long 

 will the feeder continue to feed this class of cattle in preference 

 to younger ones. 



MOST FAVORABLE SEASON FOR FEEDING. 



The answers to questions 4, 5 and 10, concerning the best 

 time of year to feed, etc., are exceedingly interesting. The 

 questions propounded were: 



4. "What season of the year have you found most profit- 

 able for feeding, and why?" 



5. "Have you found winter feeding satisfactory, and do 

 you continue to practice it?" 



