20 WISCONSIN BULLETIN 224 



People who buy on the open market should place their orders 

 with a commission man giving him as nearly as possible an accu- 

 rate idea of the weight and quality of material desired. The 

 commission man will watch the market not only for the desired 

 cattle, but will also endeavor to buy when the cattle are low in 

 price. The price of cattle on the market is more variable than is 

 the price in the country because an animal once upon the market 

 is at the mercy of the economic forces of demand and supply 

 more strongly than in the country. It should also be remem- 

 bered that the price of the feeder varies directly as the distance 

 from the market, because of higher freight and greater shrinkage. 



Buying Feeders Direct from the Range Country is possible in 

 only a few instances where men are so situated that they can 

 get into the range country, or can come into contact with people 

 directly interested in range cattle. For example, there are Wis- 

 consin men who occasionally visit the Dakota range district and 

 buy steers, some of which they ship to the market and some of 

 which they send home or sell to some one else to feed or graze. 



The person who does the buying on the range may get his cattle 

 cheaper than he could on the market, but the person who buys 

 from him generally pays as much as he would have paid on the 

 market. Unless one has orders to fill, the saving in price will 

 often be counterbalanced by the expenses incurred in traveling 

 and the time lost by the buyer. Sometimes in case of drouth, 

 real bargains may be secured, but usually one has to pay enough 

 for the cattle so that there is not enough difference to pay freight, 

 traveling expenses incurred, etc. 



TIME OF YEAR TO BUY FEEDERS 



The time of year to buy feeders will depend upon the equip- 

 ment of the operator's farm, the use he wishes to make of the 

 feeders, and the quality of the feeders. 



Feeders are usually highest in price during February, March, 

 and April. This is because they have been partly wintered, 

 which is expensive, and the buyers who want cattle to graze or 

 summer-feed are beginning to look around for them. For the 

 man who is not equipped to winter cattle, there is no alternative. 

 He must either buy his grazing or feeding steers in the spring, or 

 contract them tho fall previous for delivery from May 1 to 15. 

 This is the usual method followed by a great number of men who 

 do not attempt to keep cattle over winter. 



