STOCK RAISING AND SOIL FERTILITY 



227 



Christmas or winter lambs marketed 

 at a live weight of 50 to 60 pounds, dur- 

 ing the winter months are usually 

 dressed before sending to market. Lambs 

 that will dress out 25 to 30 pounds at two 

 months of age and sent to the New York 

 market sell all the way from $3 to $12 

 each. Such lambs should present a well- 

 developed leg of mutton with plenty of 

 lean meat, tender and juicy and a good 

 white caul to spread over the carcass 

 when on exhibition. A dressed lamb 

 weighing 25 pounds, of this character, is 

 superior to one weighing twice this 

 amount which is lean and bony. 



These lambs for the most part are 

 dressed by simply removing the intes- 

 tines. Backsets may or may not be used, 

 depending upon the market. The lambs 

 are killed and dressed to save express 

 charges. Before shipping, the carcasses 

 are usually sewn up in cheese-cloth or 

 some clean-looking material. 



The following quotations show the us- 

 ual classification of sheep in the Chicago 

 market. The prices are for a day in 

 March, 1907. 



Sheep and yearlings: 



Native wethers, good to fancy.$5-60 to $6.25 

 Wethers, fed westerns, plain 



to prime 5.25 to 6.00 



Yearlings, plain to fancy..... 5.65 to 6.60 

 Feeding ewes, inferior to 



choice 3.25 to 4.00 



Feeding yearlings, poor to 



choice 5.25 to 5.60 



Feeding wethers, poor to 



choice 4.65 to 5.20 



Mutton ewes, good to fancy 5.25 to 5.75 

 Ewes, fed western, plain to 



choice 4.50 to 5-30 



Cull ewes, poor to fair 2.50 to 4.00 



Bucks and stags, poor to 



choice 2.50 to 4.75 



Lambs : 



Good to prime natives $7.25 to $7-50 



Inferior to fair natives 5.25 to 7.15 



Fed westerns, plain to prime. . 7.00 to 7.50 

 Feeding lambs, poor to choice 6.25 to 7.25 



Shipping stock abroad — The United 

 States ships large numbers of horses, 

 cattle and sheep abroad. In 1905 34,822 

 horses valued at $3,175,259 were exported 

 besides 5,826 mules. The same year 

 567,806 head of cattle valued at $40,598,- 

 048 and 268,365 sheep valued at $1,687,- 

 321 were exported. The regulation 

 governing the shipping of live animals 

 is under the direct supervision of the 

 United States Department of Agricul- 

 ture. Not an animal can be shipped 

 out of the country, nor a boat carry stock 

 that has not first been inspected and 

 passed by officers of the Bureau of Ani- 



mal Industry of that Department. The 

 foreign trade in animals and meat prod- 

 ucts is of immense value to the Ameri- 

 can farmer and vigilant effort is made 

 by the government officials to see that 

 only sound, healthy animals are exported 

 and that the ocean transportation of 

 them shall be in as humane a manner as 

 possible. 



Government inspection — All animals 

 designed for export must be examined 

 by a government veterinarian. Inspec- 

 tion will be made at any of the follow- 

 ing stock yards: Chicago, Kansas City, 

 Omaha, St. Joseph, Pittsburg; and the 

 following ports of export : Portland, Me., 

 Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, 

 Baltimore, Norfolk, Newport News, Port 

 Royal, New Orleans and Galveston. 



After stock has been inspected in the 

 stock yards it is tagged and loaded in 

 clean, disinfected cars. At the point of 

 export clean, disinfected yards and sta- 

 bles are provided. The boats on which 

 they are to be shipped must have been 

 thoroughly cleaned and disinfected un- 

 der the supervision of a government 

 officer. 



Space required on shipboard — Cat- 

 tle must have 6 feet vertical space on all 

 decks. Dehorned cattle, however, may be 

 given but 5V 2 feet. Cattle carried on 

 the upper spar deck must be allowed a 

 space of 2y 2 feet in width by 8 feet in 

 depth per head. Four cattle are allowed 

 in each pen and at the ends of the rows, 

 five. Cattle in single stalls must have 

 3 feet in width. Vessels are allowed, 

 with certain restrictions, to carry three 

 deck loads of cattle. 



Sheep on shipboard must be allowed 

 a space 4 feet long and 14 inches wide, 

 while for lambs or sheep weighing less 

 than 100 pounds 4 feet by 12 or 13 inches 

 suffice — two rows of sheep standing in 

 the 8 feet width of pens. 



Sheep pens must not exceed 20 feet 

 by 8 feet where two tiers are carried 

 and each tier must have a clear vertical 

 space of not less than 3 feet. In the 

 summer, sheep cannot be kept on tiers 

 under deck, but during the winter sea- 

 son two tiers may be placed in each 

 wing and only one tier amidship. 



Horses must be allowed 6 feet 3 inches 

 clear vertical space, a width of 2Y 2 feet, 

 and a depth of 8 feet. Additional space 

 may be required by the inspector for 

 very large horses. Separate stalls must 

 be provided for all horses. A space 8 by 

 10 feet square must be reserved on each 



