FEEDING AND MANAGEMENT OF BEEF CATTLE. 65 



is likely to cause a washy condition when the steers get heated and ex- 

 cited. As cottonseed meal is a laxative feed, great care should be 

 used in feeding it for a day or two before shipment. It is a well known 

 fact that grass fattened cattle shrink abnormally when shipped. In 

 shipping cattle every precaution should be taken to withhold green feeds, 

 such as grass, silage, or any of the concentrates, such as cottonseed meal 

 and linseed meal, which are likely to purge the animals. It is a good plan 

 to feed hay principally, the day before shipment. Timothy hay is rec- 

 ognized as being ideal for this purpose. If this can not be obtained, corn 

 stover or cottonseed hulls will serve the purpose. Clover, alfalfa or 

 cowpea hay should not be fed at this time because of their laxative 1 * 

 character. Water and salt should be withheld for six to eight hours be- 

 fore shipment. The use of salt to secure a good fill of water is neither 

 a paying proposition nor a legitimate practice. 



The car should be well bedded with straw, sawdust or some other litter 

 convenient for use, and the cattle should be loaded snugly, but not 

 packed. Prior to shipment all undue excitement should be avoided. If 

 these suggestions are followed the cattle should reach market in good 

 condition, ready to eat and drink normally before sold. Careful and in- 

 telligent management will assure both the shipper and the buyer honest 

 weights and satisfactory returns. 



Cost of Shipping. 



Usually the cattle feeder can afford to take from forty to fifty cents 

 per hundred pounds less for his cattle on the local market. This is es- 

 pecially true for the beginner who may not be able to judge when cattle 

 are ready for the market or when it is most advisable to ship for other 

 reasons. The following figures will enable the feeder to determine with 

 considerable accuracy what the shipping expenses will be to Baltimore 

 on one carload of fat cattle, assuming the selling price to be six cents 

 per hundred. The cost of shipping to Richmond would be somewhat 

 less than the figures given below. 



Shrinkage on 30 cattle, 40 pounds per head 1,200 Ibs. 



@ 6 cents per pound $ 72.00 



Freight 66.00 



Commission charges 30.00 



Yardage, feeding and weighing 12.00 



Total $180.00 



i 



These figures are subject to modification according to the location of 

 the feeder ; however, the principal difference would be on the shrinkage 

 and freight charges. It will take considerable experience to judge just 

 when it will pay to ship and when to sell at home. If the price offered 

 at the farm is within reason, however, it will usually not pay to take a 

 material risk. Any one who contemplates shipping should be governed 

 largely by the price offered for the cattle at home and the quotations on 

 the central market. It should be remembered that steers from the 



