66 BULLETIN 25, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
of 2-year-olds, cows, and bulls, with a few steers mixed in. There 
were very few calves in the shipments. The cattle were in transit 
from to 31 hours, and ranged from 614 to 878 pounds in weight. 
The shrinkage was not so variable with these cattle as with those in 
transit less than 24 hours. 
It will be noticed that the shipment of 30 head, although the 
heaviest cattle, shrank the least in shipping. This is readily ex- 
plained by the fact that they were started from the ranch at 3 o'clock 
in the afternoon and were driven 18 miles to the loading point, ar- 
riving there the next afternoon, where they were penned. They 
were loaded and weighed at 6 p. m., having had neither feed nor 
water since they left the ranch 27 hours previous. They were conse- 
quently very empty and could not shrink as much as cattle under 
average conditions. Then, too, they were in transit but 24J hours 
and took a fairly good fill at market. 
The shipment of 26 head of cattle had been held on good pasture 
within 6 miles of the loading pens for several days previous to 
shipping. They were penned at 11 a. m. and held in the pens until 
5 o'clock in the afternoon without feed or water. They were then 
weighed, but were not loaded until 10 o'clock that night. They had 
a poor fill when weighed and shrank only 21 pounds after the fill at 
market. 
On the other hand the two shipments of 28 head each had been 
trailed a long distance and were watered just previous to weighing. 
The result was a big shrinkage with each of them — 75 pounds per 
head in one case and 55 pounds per head in the other. The latter 
shipment had been trailed 52 miles. 
The grand average of all the shipments shows they were in transit 
29 hours, their weight was 751 pounds, and their shrinkage was 42 
pounds each. This is 5.6 per cent of their live weight. 
Table 26. — Mixed range cattle in transit over 2^ hours. 
Num- 
ber 
of 
head. 
38 
26 
28 
30 
23 
Point of origin. 
Time 
in 
transit. 
Aver- 
age 
weight 
at 
point 
of 
origin. 
Aver- 
age 
weight 
at des- 
tination 
after 
fill. 
Aver- 
age 
net 
shrink- 
age. 
Remarks. 
Odessa, Tex 
Hours. 
31 
29 
29 
24| 
31 
Po-unds. 
614 
814 
782 
878 
711 
Pounds. 
573 
793 
707 
859 
656 
Pounds. 
41 
21 
75 
19 
55 
Driven 6 miles and held all day without 
feed or water. 
Driven 18 miles. Had no feed or water 
for 26 hours before loading. 
Driveu 52 miles in 4 days. Were 
watered before loading. 
do 
do 
do 
do 
Grand average 
29 
751 
709 
42 
