38 
BULLETIN 1480, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
The January 1 value of all hogs per head in Iowa has a variability 
of 27 per cent. Such high variability is to be expected when the 
value of fall pigs and the value of breeding stock are included in the 
same estimate. There are many more fall pigs in the southern half 
of Iowa than in the northern part ; in several of the northern coun- 
ties almost the only hogs that would be on farms on January 1 would 
be either hogs about ready for market or breeding stock. For the 
entire period of record the January 1 value of hogs per head has been 
obtained from a question asking for the average price of swine of 
all ages. In January, 1926, the value of hogs was obtained from 
about half of the list of crop reporters on the basis of all hogs, as 
shown in Table 17; from the other half of the list on the basis of 
three subclasses; namely, (1) pigs under 6 months, (2) sows and 
gilts bred or to be bred for spring pigs, and (3) all other hogs 6 
months old and over, including boars. The average price of all hogs 
was higher when determined on the basis of the three subclasses. 
BEEF CATTLE AND TEAL CALVES 
Prices of beef cattle per 100 pounds live weight are highly variable ; 
the coefficients of variability as shown in Table 18 for several beef- 
cattle price samples are all above 20 per cent. There is a wide range 
in the quality of cattle in a single State. Even in Iowa the price in 
some localities would apply to a poor grade of feeder cattle or cows, 
whereas that in another would apply to well-finished fat cattle. In 
dairy regions the cattle sold for beef are mostly worn-out dairy cows 
or old bulls. The variability seems to run consistently above 20 
per cent whether the sample be taken in Maryland, Iowa, or the range 
States. Only in the States where a large price sample can be obtained 
is it possible to have enough reports to hold the probable error down 
to a point where four times the relative probable error is less than 
10 per cent. 
Table 18. — Farm prices of beef cattle and veal calves: Selected illustrations of 
size of sample, measures of dispersion, and probable errors 
[Per 100 pounds live weight] 
Product, State, and date 
Number 
of reports 
Average 
price 
(arith- 
metic 
mean) 
Standard 
deviation 
of reports 
Coeffi- 
cient of 
varia- 
bility 
Probable 
error 
of the 
average 
price or 
mean 
Relative 
probable 
error 
Four 
times 
relative 
probable 
error > 
Beef cattle: 
Dollars 
Dollars 
Per cent 
Dollars 
Percent 
Per cent 
Iowa, October, 1925 ... .. 
116 
23 
9.36 
6.32 
2.06 
1.58 
22.1 
25.0 
0.13 
.22 
1.4 
3.5 
5.6 
Colorado, October, 1925 ___ 
14.0 
Wyoming, October, 1925 
10 
5.82 
1.22 
20.9 
.26 
4.5 
18.0 
Maryland, March, 1926 
16 
7.62 
1.66 
21.8 
.28 
3.7 
14.8 
Veal calves: 
New York, July, 1925 
94 
10.62 
1.34 
12.6 
.09 
.9 
3.6 
Wisconsin, July, 1925 
71 
9.08 
1.40 
15.4 
.11 
1.2 
4.8 
Alabama, July, 1925 
40 
5.64 
1.86 
32.9 
.20 
3.5 
14.0 
California, July, 1925 
28 
9.41 
2.06 
21.8 
.27 
2.9 
11.6 
Maryland, March, 1926 
22 
12.57 
1.27 
10.2 
.18 
1.5 
6.0 
i The probabilities are ninety-nine out of one hundred that the average of a much larger sample collected 
in the same way and at the same time would not vary from this average by more than four times the prob- 
able error. 
