208 



FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



high-grade lot of animals, the buyer 

 will be anxious to handle them and is 

 likely to give him as good figures as he 

 could obtain by shipping. The grower 

 can tell by consulting his weekly or 

 daily stock papers about how prices are 

 running in the larger cities and well 

 knows whether he is receiving the proper 

 price for his stock or not. Furthermore, 

 the grower deals with a man he knows. 

 He understands his methods of doing 

 business and can call on him when his 

 stock is ready for sale. 



The local butchers furnish a market 

 for a good many animals, but the de- 

 mand from this source is limited. Even 



weight of the animals. Where only a 

 few hogs, sheep or calves are to be mar- 

 keted, they can be shown up to much 

 better advantage and better prices gen- 

 erally secured if drawn to town in the 

 farm wagon with high side boards. 



Marketing pure breeds—Growers of 

 pure bred animals are generally able to 

 dispose of a part of their breeding 

 stock with stock growers in the neigh- 

 borhood; in such cases the grower asks 

 a price commensurate with the value of 

 the animal sold. Some breeders do an 

 extensive mailing and shipping business, 

 in which case animals are shipped in 

 crates, either by express or freight. 



Fig. 150 — EMPTY MILK CANS READY TO RETURN TO THE DAIRY 



in the smaller cities and towns the local 

 butchers have to compete with the meat 

 sent from the great central packing 

 houses, which limits the price they are 

 able to pay. Men buying for shipment, 

 however, can handle large numbers of 

 animals. 



Marketing in local cities and towns 

 — If the grower does not choose to sell 

 to the traveling buyers, the nearby 

 butchers and towns offer a market and 

 in nearly all of the larger towns there 

 are one or more men who buy for ship- 

 ment. Many towns have special market 

 days when buyers and sellers meet, and 

 the competition thus offered serves to 

 secure better prices. In driving stock 

 any distance to town, there is always 

 considerable loss in appearance and 



The express rates on live stock shipped 

 in crates are usually "quite reason- 

 able and but little, if any, more expen- 

 sive than in shipping by freight and the 

 animals reach their destination much 

 sooner. It is not advisable to ship such 

 animals as sheep, hogs or calves unless 

 crated. The express rates are lower in 

 the eastern and central states than in 

 the southern or western states. The ex- 

 press companies have special cars in 

 which to ship valuable horses. Show 

 stock of all kinds is usually shipped by 

 express. 



In shipping crated animals by ex- 

 press, sufficient feed for the journey 

 should be attached to the outside of the 

 crate. "Properly made crates will have 

 a sack pocket fastened at the end within 



