II. NORTHWESTERN SHRINKAGE WORK OF 1911-12. 
By James E. Downing, 
Live-StocJc Assistant, Animal Husbandry Division. 
INTRODUCTION. 
This part of the investigation was started in September, 1911, 
and covered a large portion of the western eattle-prodncing districts. 
The work was carried out with the same facilities and under the 
same conditions that are offered to every shipper. No effort was 
made to influence results one way or the other, nor w T as there any at- 
tempt made to deviate from the regular order or methods peculiar to 
the section of the country where the animals originated. The aim 
of the investigation was to get at the facts with respect to the shrink- 
age in transit and the fill at market. The results obtained were 
based on shipments made in various sections of the country under 
varying conditions, with cattle of different breeds, fattened on several 
kinds of feed. 
No attempt was made to gain control of the shipments or to influ- 
ence or advise the owner how the stock should be treated. Permis- 
sion was asked to w T eigh the animals at the point of origin and again 
on arrival at market. Care was always exercised to avoid any extra 
shrinkage by reason of the weighing or to divert the cattle in any 
way that would place them in a less favorable position as compared 
with other shipments not weighed. The object was to handle them 
in a normal manner without regard to what the outcome might be. 
so as to secure accurate results under the prevailing conditions. 
HOW THE DATA WERE OBTAINED. 
The investigation w T as begun in the vicinity of Sheridan, Wyo., 
in September, 1911. At that, time the cattle from the ranges of 
Wyoming and Montana were being sent to market. The w T ork of 
collecting the weights of shipments originating in that section of 
the country was continued until November, when headquarters was 
shifted to Alliance. Nebr. From this point the work was continued 
with shipments from the sandhills of western Nebraska. The ship- 
ping season practically closed in December and headquarters was 
again shifted to Boone, Iowa, where shipments from feed lots in 
different parts of the State were obtained. The last move was made 
in April, 1912, to Jacksonville. 111., where the work was finished in 
June. 
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