74 Western Live-stock Management 



of which time he will sell on an average market for about 

 $1.00 a hundred pounds more than at the start. In other 

 words, 175 pounds of fat put on a good steer will, on a 

 steady market, make him worth about $1.00 more for 

 each hundred pounds, which in turn will allow a fair 

 profit on cheap feed. To the beginner the fluctuations 

 of the market seem all important, but the old-timer does 

 not bother so much about them. He figures that what he 

 loses from a drop in prices one time will be regained by a 

 raise some other time. The averages are what count. 



BUYING STEERS 



Feeding steers are usually bought locally, since, in the 

 West, there are no large open markets for feeder cattle 

 such as are found in the East. Denver is a feeder market 

 but the buyers are largely from the Corn-Belt. The west- 

 ern feeder must buy direct from the producer or wherever 

 he can, and must be something of a judge of steers in 

 order to make a successful purchase. His judgment is 

 all the more important when he has to buy by the head ; 

 for in this case he not only has to estimate their value by 

 the pound, but also has to guess their weight, and as may 

 be readily seen, it is only too easy to miss the true value 

 of a steer by several dollars. Experienced feeders study 

 their animals very carefully and often become very expert 

 in judging their weights and values, but it is necessary 

 that they follow the market reports very carefully. By 

 frequent shipments to the large centers, they become 

 familiar with conditions there, and by seeing cattle sold- 

 and then comparing their observations with the market 

 reports for that day, they are able in the future to interpret 

 the reports with far greater accuracy than they could other- 



