292 THE MANAGEMENT AND FEEDING OF CATTLE 



which they show to make high-priced meat. Such are 

 cattle of the scrub and extreme dairy types, and the same 

 is true of old cows lean at the time when they are dried. 

 (See page 286.) The low price paid for such beef will 

 not pay for bringing it to a high finish through stall 

 feeding. Owing to the character of the food production 

 the opportunity for making high finish is not present on 

 some farms, whereas on others the opposite is true. It 

 is true, also, of large areas in both instances. In some 

 local markets the dealers cannot pay such prices for 

 meat of the highest finish as are paid for the same in 

 the best markets, as the local trade will only pay prices 

 such as will purchase a cheaper grade of meat. 



When animals are finished, that is, when the fatten- 

 ing process is so far advanced that the increase made is 

 not commensurate with the food used in making it, be- 

 cause of the condition of ripeness to which the animals 

 have been brought, the aim should be to market them 

 with all promptness. The longer they are maintained 

 after that point has been reached, the greater will be the 

 relative loss from the food fed. On page 389 in the 

 book, " Feeding Farm Animals," by the author, this 

 question is more fully discussed. 



Choice of markets. — The choice of the market in 

 which to dispose of fat cattle is determined by such 

 influences as: (i) The facilities for reaching the mar- 

 ket; (2) the character of the stock to be shipped; and 

 (3) the degree of the finish possessed by the animals. 

 In less than carload lots it may not pay to ship even 

 well-finished animals of high quality to distant markets, 

 because of the highness of the freight charges. It has 

 been shown above that the less the degree of the quality 

 possessed by the animals, and also the less degree of 

 finish given to them, the less profitable will it be, rela- 

 tively, to ship to large and distant markets. 



While those who feed prime cattle in small lots may 

 be handicapped in the shipment of the same, in small 



