95 



cially when the cattle of his own feeding are to be sold. To 

 bring cattle to just the point of finish, or to just the degree of 

 fatness that will make them most profitable, or to avoid carrying 

 them too long, or to avoid selling them too early, is perhaps 

 the most difficult point to determine in the entire range of beef 

 production. No one can hope to develop good judgment in this 

 direction without a thorough familiarity with the various mar- 

 ket classes of cattle and without knowing how much fat each 

 class requires to enable it to be sold to the best advantage. 

 It would of course be fatal to follow one rule with all grades. 

 Cattle of good quality will require a relatively higher finish 

 because, as a rule, their cost price as feeders is so high that 

 there will be too small a margin between it and the selling 

 price to pay a profit if they are not made prime. Plain to con> 

 mon sorts, however, are not worth enough to justify being made 

 thick fat, and must go to market carrying medium flesh if they 

 pay a profit. The beginner, however, is more likely to err in 

 the direction of shipping too early than of carrying his cattle 

 too long. Frequently a six weeks' additional feed will make 

 from 40 cents to 60 cents difference in the price of the cattle 

 on the market. On the basis of 1400 pound steers, this equals 

 from $5.60 to $8.40 per head besides the value of the gains 

 made. On the other hand, money is frequently lost by making 

 cattle too thick, especially when they have not the quality to 

 pay for so long a feed. Or, it may happen that the top of the 

 market is not enough above the price commanded by good to 

 choice cattle to pay for making them prime. To top the market 

 and lose money is not profitable. 



NOTE How THEY THICKEN AS THEY FATTEN. 



