MARKETING CATTLE WHEN FINISHED 3CI 



tank and the owner is allowed for it a merely nominal 

 price accordingly. 



The cattle for slaughter are weighed, as a rule, in 

 the forenoon when the weighing can be overtaken 

 within that time. They have thus had time to take all 

 food and drink they would take subsequent to the 

 morning feeding, and previous to the weighing. The 

 weights then made are taken as the basis of computation 

 without further discount. When stockers are sold they 

 are weighed at any time agreed upon. 



When it can be accomplished, the cattle are sold to 

 the highest responsible bidder early in the day. A glut 

 of that kind of stock in the market, or other causes, may 

 render it necessary to hold the stock over to the ne;;t 

 day or even for a longer period. The commission firm 

 then hands over a check to the owner if present, or 

 forwards it by mail if he is absent. The check repre- 

 sents the price received for the cattle, less the commis- 

 sion and other expenses. The other expenses include 

 terminal charges for shunting the car, yardage, food, 

 and weighing, but the seller has no part of the cost of 

 inspection to bear. The commissions, though they vary, 

 hover in the neighborhood of 50 cents for each cattle 

 beast beyond the age of calfhood, and of 25 cents each 

 for calves. 



