STOCK RAISING AND SOIL FERTILITY 



217 



be classified as much as possible. Ani- 

 mals of practically the same weight 

 should be put together. Even the color 

 is a matter of considerable importance. 

 A whole car of black hogs, or a whole 

 car of white hogs, creates a more favor- 

 able impression than a mixed lot. 

 Where the animals are about of the 

 same size, the cars can be loaded more 

 easily and the stock shipped much bet- 

 ter. There is less danger from the 

 weak and smaller animals being injured. 

 Where it is not done by the shipper, it 

 must often be done after the stock 

 reaches the market, which takes con- 

 siderable time and often results in loss 

 to the shipper. If the shipper has only 

 one carload of stock, of course it can- 

 not be graded in this manner. 



Striking a market — It is the aim of 

 all stock shippers, of course, to try to 

 strike the best market. As a matter of 

 fact, it is extremely difficult, if not im- 

 possible, to forecast the day when the 

 best prices of the season will be se- 

 cured. Stock is being shipped every day 

 in the year, and if there were any one 

 season in which it was especially high, 

 many feeders would aim to hit that mar- 

 ket. The results of this would be a glut 

 and low prices. 



Coburn cites an example in which a 

 heavy fall of snow occurred on a Sun- 

 day in February. The following Mon- 

 day morning on the Kansas City market 

 but 61 cars of stock were on sale. The 

 difficulty of reaching the station was so 

 great that shippers and feeders thought 

 it would be a good time to ship into 

 the market while others were tied up at 

 home, and so get the benefits of the high 

 advance in price. As a result of this 

 reasoning, there was by far the largest 

 receipts for a winter day up to that 

 time, and prices went to smash. "This 

 is mentioned simply to show what little 

 judgment is exercised by the majority of 

 feeders in always rushing to the market 

 with all of a particular feeding simply 

 to get the benefit of a rise, and the bene- 

 fit of a break is more often the result." 



It is entirely impossible for all to 

 strike the best market. Stock should be 

 shipped when it is ripe for market, even 

 if prices are not as high as it is expect- 

 ed they may be a month or two in the 

 future. If this system is regularly fol- 

 lowed, it is firmly believed that the 

 average profits will be much greater 

 than where stock is held after it is fin- 

 ished in order to strike a better market, 



Securing cars and shipping horses, 

 cattle, etc. — Where stock is shipped by 

 freight, it is usually necessary to notify 

 the railroad company two or three days 

 in advance, in order that suitable cars 

 may be secured. Even in the largest 

 market one day's notice at least is ex- 

 pected. There are many different kinds 

 of stock cars. The plain box cars, 30x36 

 feet in length, are used to a consider- 

 able extent. Such cars are about 8 feet 

 wide and 7 feet high. Horses and cattle 

 shipped in these cars may be penned 

 in by constructing temporary box stalls. 



Ix shippixg but oxe horse or one cow 

 it may be penned in at one end of the 

 car, loose with plenty of bedding on the 

 floor. A bedding of sand is advisable 

 for horses, to prevent their slipping. 

 With cattle an abundance of straw or 

 hay may be used. 



Whex a carload of horses is thus 

 shipped, they should stand side by side 

 with the heads all one way and so close 

 that they will not lie down. Cattle are 

 shipped in the same way. The more 

 common stock car, and the more suit- 

 able in warm weather, is the car with 

 slatted sides and ends, made expressly 

 for stock. These cars are usually fitted 

 with water troughs on the sides. 



Cars for sheep axd hogs usually con- 

 tain two decks, the second floor being 

 at a height of Sy 2 feet from the first 

 floor and generally removable. By using 

 these double decked cars, nearly twice 

 as many sheep or hogs can be carried 

 in the same car as in the common car. 



Improved stock cars — In addition to 

 these more common stock cars, there are 

 a number of improved forms of cars. 

 "One of the most prominent forms for 

 shipping cattle has open barred sides, 

 with hay racks and iron water troughs, 

 which rest in a horizontal position to 

 hold water or feed, or which may be 

 shifted to the side of the car in an 

 inverted position for cleaning." 



On such cars as these, cattle from 

 points distant 1,000 or 1,500 miles from 

 market can be shipped without unload- 

 ing and arrive in market in much better 

 condition than when shipped in the 

 common cars from which they have to 

 be unloaded once or twice for feeding 

 and thus knocked about and more or 

 less injured before reaching their final 

 destination. 



Uxloadixg stock ix transit— It great- 

 ly injures the appearance of stock to 

 have to unload it once or twice before 



