BUYING FEEDING CATTLE 17 



fattening cattle have seen a neighbor make money in the 

 business for three or four consecutive years and conclude 

 that they too can do likewise. Quite often the next 

 year and the next prove unfavorable for the cattle feeder, 

 and the beginner, confronted with this obstacle in ad- 

 dition to his lack of experience, loses considerable money 

 that he can ill afford to lose. Many well-informed cattle- 

 men make it a rule to feed a certain number of cattle 

 each year without much regard to changing conditions. 

 This seems the safer rule, provided conditions are not 

 such as to make it possible to know at the outset that 

 the business can not be engaged in without loss. Cer- 

 tain it is that such a policy is far wiser than one which 

 involves going in and out of the business with an effort 

 to follow market and other conditions. 



WHEN, WHERE, AND HOW TO MAKE PURCHASES OF 

 FEEDING CATTLE 



If we were able to make a definite statement as to 

 when, where, and how to buy feeding cattle that 

 could be followed in all seasons and under all conditions, 

 we know the information would be of inestimable value 

 to the cattle feeders of the country. Experienced cattle 

 feeders understand, however, that such statements, if 

 made at all, would need to be qualified by many excep- 

 tions. No attempt will be made to give rules for th.3 

 guidance of buyers of feeding cattle, but rather some of 

 the more important factors affecting these questions 

 will be discussed sufficiently to make it possible for the 

 individual to come to an intelligent decision in these 

 matters after becoming thoroughly familiar with local 

 and market conditions. 



WHEN TO BUY 



The best time to buy is when the cattle can be bought 

 the cheapest, all things considered. This is easily said, 

 but it is, indeed, difficult to know for any certain season 

 when that time will come. A reasonably favorable 



