American Cattle Markets and the Dressed Beef Trade. 141 
The prices quoted are about the lowest ever known in Chicago, 
and this is greatly owing to immense receipts. The average price, 
however, of the last ten years has ruled ^1.00 per 100 lbs. above 
present quotations. Take for instance good 1,400-lb. bullocks : 
the average price for these has been ^5.00 to i^S.lO per 100 lbs. 
during that time, or the price of such a bullock had been ;^70.00 
per head, netting to the owner probably an average of ^65.00, 
after paying freight, commissions, &c. To reduce it to English 
money, a 57-stone bullock of 14 lbs. to the stone is worth 
14L 8s. ^d. The American farmer west of Chicago has in round 
numbers received on an average about 13L 10s. for his bullocks 
of this weight during the last ten years. 
The movement of cattle is almost entirely eastward. San 
Francisco, which is a large market, draws quite a number of 
cattle from California and the adjoining States, but otherwise 
there is a continual movement toward the East. The movement 
begins at the Gulf of Mexico; the barren plains of Arizona, the 
sage brush valleys of Nevada and far Montana, all contribute and 
send forward their consignments. From those distant points the 
work of shipping is no easy matter. The various lines at suitable 
points have feeding-yards, where hay is supplied at three times 
its value. Cattle can be run from 300 to 500 miles without feed 
and water, but as a rule the feeding-stations are generally placed 
about the former distance apart. Within the last year or two 
" Palace " stock cars have been introduced, and by this means 
cattle can be run practically any distance, as they are constructed 
to allow the animals to be fed and watered without unloading. 
What are known as the " Street " cars, built on this principle, 
have up to this time been the best produced, and they are likely 
to maintain their lead, as they can be divided into three compart- 
ments, which to a great extent prevents bruises. The writer has 
repeatedly run cattle 1,300 miles in these cars, never unloading 
from the point of shipment till Chicago was reached. 
The cattle having reached Chicago are sold as we have de- 
scribed above. Those which are bought for shipment are 
driven over to the shipping divisions, where they are loaded up 
and forwarded to their respective destinations. The dressed 
beef men generally allow their cattle to remain in the pens over- 
night, and the next day after they are purchased they are driven 
over to the slaughter-houses. The alleys in the yards have 
become so crowded that during the last few years viaducts have 
been constructed overhead, and along those the cattle and hogs 
are driven to the respective packing-houses. 
The cattle having reached the point where they are made into 
dressed beef, a description of the methods by which three-fourths 
