FINISHING CATTLE ON PASTURE 183 



of both put into the land and at a minimum of labor in 

 outlay. 



The markets in the meantime usually favor summer 

 finishing. The average prices for good beef on foot are 

 usually higher in summer than in winter for the reason 

 probably that it is less plentiful. More especially does 

 this apply to the three months of summer. While the 

 conditions prevailing in the meantime seem to favor 

 summer grazing, it may not be always thus. The 

 variable conditions such as relate to the cost of labor may 

 so fluctuate that the winter finishing may again become 

 the more profitable. Nor should the fact be overlooked 

 that many farmers are so situated that they can utilize 

 time profitably in winter feeding cattle without employ- 

 ing labor from without, whereas the labor thus used 

 would otherwise be less profitably employed or not 

 employed at all. The time called for from farmers in 

 finishing cattle in the summer may hamper them con- 

 siderably in their farm work. 



