Grading up Beef Cattle at Sni-a-Bar Farms 9 
These groups show how the management actually marketed the 
cattle; the practical stockman probably would market them in much 
the same manner; that is, he would not keep all crosses separate. 
There were not enough of the second and third crosses for market 
at any one time to make separate shipments advantageously. In 
each case all the cattle sold on the open market are included. Steers 
that were fitted for show and exhibited have been excluded, because 
these cattle were finished to a higher degree than is practicable for 
commercial stock. Such animals, because of their superior finish 
and the fact that they were shown and perhaps won premiums, bring 
a more or less abnormal price, which the producer of market cattle 
would not expect to receive. For these reasons all such steers have 
been omitted from the table. The presentation also omits animals 
sold for breeding purposes or disposed of through outlets not con- 
nected with the work of grading up the demonstration herd. 
Out of some 200 head of male calves of the original breeding, 44 
were fattened as steers. They were fully fattened and carried as 
much finish as feeding would give them. ‘These steers were marketed 
in 1914, 1916, and 1922. Most of them were 2- -year-olds, others being 
yearlings and long yearlings. In no case did the selling price for 
shipments of any “of these groups reach the top price for bulk of 
sales. If they had equaled that price the day they were sold they 
would have brought $5,140.36. They sold for $4, 660. 11, or $480. 25 
less. Details of the sales of these steers are shown in Table 2 
Beginning February 6, 1918, second-cross steers were added to 
the marketings. This was continued to and including May 23, 
1922, which was the end of marketing first and second cross steers 
alone; at that time third-cross steers were added to the marketings. 
In the period stated, 215 steers were sold. Out of a total marketing 
of these steers, only 15 head sold below the top for bulk of sales. 
The remaining 200 sold above the top, thereby bringing a sub- 
stantial premium. The net amount above the bulk-of-sales top for 
the entire marketing of the 215 steers has been calculated to average 
more than $9 a head for the entire number. It will be recalled that 
the steers from original cows sold for considerably below the corre- 
sponding basis for comparison. 
The significance of the large quantity of information in Table 2 
is more clearly evident in Table 3, which is a condensation of the 
data. Table 3 presents average results in marketing all classes of 
steers and shows the approximate returns which “good breeding 
brings, in comparison with prices for the bulk of or dinary cattle sold 
on the same market. 
The figures in the last column of Table 3 show very clearly the 
differential due to improved breeding. The figures are index num- 
bers multiplied by 10. The result is a series of fioures readily under- 
stood by persons accustomed to studying market reports, but also 
maintaining the mathematical accuracy of index numbers as a 
means for true comparisons. The convenient decimal number $10 
per hundredweight for an average steer is used as the base figure. 
The reader will note that the first cross Ww ith a purebred beef sire 
added $2 a hundredweight to the selling price, and the average of 
three crosses represented $1 a hundredweight more, making a ‘total 
gain of $3 per hundredweight. This is a direct financial measure 
of improved breeding. 
