84 



our national laws governing the importation of stock. Canada at the 

 north and Mexico on the south have sent many animals into the United 

 States luring- the pasi few years. At present, however, the policy of 

 strongly restricting them is in vogue, and will doubtless continue for a 

 lew years, if not permanently. 



A canvas of the conditions in the meat markets of Chicago on the 

 part of *lie Breeders' Gazette, shows very plainly the effect of the general 

 finances of the country upon the meat market. The retail meat markets 

 of Chicago demanded smaller carcasses as well as a less total quantity of 

 meat to supply the market demand during the period of financial depres- 

 sion. Their customers bought smaller roasts and lighter cuts of meat 

 throughout, which brought about a general market demand for lighter 

 animals. 



Meat producing stock of aill classes come more or Less directly into 

 competition in supplying the market demand, and it takes less time to 

 increase the number of sheep and hogs than it does cattle. 



The facts reviewed above seem to indicate that present high prices may 

 be expected to continue for several years. It will require' a number O'f 

 years to grow breeding stock sufficient to bring the number back to that 

 owned by the people of the United States prior to 1893. 



HANDLING RANCH CATTLE. 



The handling of the wild and not infrequently vicious -range stock adds 

 a number of problems to those of ordinary feeding. Older stock must 

 be taken and a longer preliminary feeding must be provided. 



In answer to many of the questions which will arise with one con- 

 templating the fattening of range stock, I will quote freely from Manager 

 Iv. M. Allen's report of the operations of the Standard Cattle Company, of 

 Ames, Neb., published im the Report of the Kansas State Board of Agri- 

 culture for the quarter ending December, 1897. This company has fed 

 nearly 50,000 head of cattle for an average period of 186 1-3 days. They 

 have kept a careful record of their live weights, gains made, grain eaten, 

 and of their operations in general. This large number of animals, an 

 average of about 4,500 a year, carried along successfully on grain feed for 

 eleven years must sho# very nearly what must be expected in feeding 

 ranch cattle on a large scale. Mr. Allen states that the cattle used were 

 largely raised on their own ranch in Wyoming, where Shorthorn and 

 Hereford full blood and grade bulls have been used for the past ten years. 

 Some cattle have been purchased outside, however, and were mostly the 

 medium grade of Texas steers. Their cattle have been four and five 

 years old, with occasionally an older animal. 



The practice of Manager Allen is to give his animals a lonig prelim- 

 inary feeding upon cut or shredded corm fodder before feeding them a grain 

 ration. He has found, however, a fact which I did not learn in the feed- 

 ing- experiment reported in these pages, i. e., with a large number of 



