STOCK RAISING AND SOIL FERTILITY 



221 



On carloads of stock having more than 

 one owner, requiring more than one ac- 

 count of sales, the commission shall be 

 50 cents a head for cattle and 15 cents 

 a head for hogs and 15 cents a head for 

 sheep, without regard to the number of 

 head in said car, provided that the 

 aggregate commissions charged shall not 

 be less than the minimum fixed rate a 

 car under the section that otherwise 

 would apply. 



In determining the application of said 

 rates of commission, the official count 

 and classification by the yardmaster 

 shall rule in all cases, except when cor- 

 rected by authority of the Union Stock 

 Yard and Transit company to conform 

 to the actual number and true classi- 

 fication. 



The commission for purchasing li\e 

 stock shall not be less than the follow- 

 ing named rates : 



Stocker and feeder cattle (includ- 

 ing calves), each, but not ex- 

 ceed $10 a carload, unless the 

 parties in connection with a loan 

 or advancement, agree to pay a 

 head, without regard to the num- 

 ber constituting a carload lot. .$0.50 

 Stock and feeding sheep and lambs, 



a single-deck carload- • 6.00 



Stock and feeding sheep and lambs 



a double-deck carload 10.00 



Charges, dockage, etc.— Lumpy-jaw 

 cattle and diseased meats are condemned 

 at Chicago. Sales, unless otherwise stat- 

 ed, live weight by the 100 pounds. Own- 

 ers of stock slaughtered subject to state 

 inspection receive returns of sales ac- 

 cording to post-mortem inspection. Pub- 

 lic inspectors dock pregnant sows 40 

 pounds, stags, altered boars, 80 pounds. 

 Yardage — Cattle and horses 25 cents, 

 calves 15 cents, hogs 8 cents, sheep 5 

 cents a head. 



Feed — Corn 75 cents a bushel, timo- 

 thy hay $25 a ton, prairie hay $20. 



Yardage changes — All people doing 

 business in the stock yards must con- 

 form to the above regulations. The 

 care of the stock from the time of its 

 arrival to its disposal is subject to the 

 company's orders and care. No charge 

 is made for the use of the yards, but a 

 charge for weighing, usually termed 

 yardage, is collected when the stock is 

 sold. The yardage charges in Chicago 

 are noted above. In Buffalo and Pitts- 

 burg, the yardage charges are as follows : 

 Cattle 15 cents a head; hogs 6 cents; 

 sheep 4 cents; calves 8 cents. At Oma- 



ha, the charges are 25 cents for cattle; 

 8 cents for hogs; 5 cents for sheep, and 

 10 cents for calves. 



Payment for stock— If a carload of 

 stock is sent to market to be sold by a 

 commission merchant, the shipper re- 

 ceives a check or draft for his consign- 

 ment just as quickly as the stock is sold. 

 Along with it he receives a statement 

 as to the weight of the stock, the classifi- 

 cation which was made of it, the prices 

 received for each class, the yardage and 

 feed charges paid and the amount of the 

 commission charges. All these expenses 

 are subtracted from the gross receipts 

 for the stock and the balance is sent to 

 the shipper. There is usually no delay 

 whatever in making a settlement. 



Shipping cattle_I n shipping cattle 

 off grass, they should always be put up 

 in^ a dry lot for a day or two before 

 shipment is made and fed nothing but 

 corn, oats and hay. This applies more 

 particularly to the native eastern cattle 

 which are used to these feeds. If this 

 is not done, the cattle on arrival at 

 market have a grassy look, their hair 

 looks shiny, and they shrink almost 

 double what they would if handled as 

 noted, and sell from 10 to 15 cents a 

 hundred less than if put in a dry lot and 

 fed on dry feeds before shipping. If 

 the cattle are fed corn on grass, they 

 may be taken off the day before shipping 

 and fed on dry food. 



In driving cattle to the cars, care 

 should be taken not to overheat them. 

 The cars should be well bedded down 

 with hay or sand. Either of these is 

 considered more satisfactory than oat 

 or wheat straw. For successful ship- 

 ping, it is essential to place cattle on 

 the cars full of feed, but with as little 

 moisture in them as possible. A steer 

 full of water at the beginning of the 

 shipment is likely to show up badly in 

 the stock yards, as a result of loose 

 bowels. When properly handled, cattle 

 should arrive at the stock yai*ds dry be- 

 hind and ready for a good fill of water. 

 Oversalting and watering stock 

 — Many shippers make the mistake of 

 oversalting their stock at time of ship- 

 ment, or by feeding them oats, with the 

 expectation of having the stock arrive 

 very thirsty in market and drinking 

 large quantities of water which will add 

 to their weight at the time of sale. This 

 is a great mistake; the buyers in the 

 stock yards have had long experience, 

 and can tell at a glance whether stock 



