6 
BULLETIN 1454, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
September, October, and November) than any other State. Texas 
is the only State that approximates the Kansas movement. The big 
jump in Kansas City receipts in August and the following three 
months is due in large degree to the movement of Kansas cattle. 
Kansas grass-fat steers going to market in July are usually sold for 
slaughter, whereas in the months following only the best and fleshiest 
steers are purchased by the packers unless there is a very strong 
demand for cattle for slaughter. 
Since Kansas grass cattle play so large a part in the receipts at 
the Kansas City market, it is natural to believe that the movement of 
prices on this market, while these cattle are being absorbed, is influ- 
enced by the volume of receipts and the kind of cattle placed on sale. 
Each year of this study, as the grass-fat Kansas cattle began arriving 
on the market in early July, there was a general tendency for the 
MONTHLY MOVEMENT OF CATTLE INTO AND OUT OF 
KANSAS FLINT HILLS, 1922 
20 
40 
NUMBER IN THOUSANDS 
60 80 
100 
120 
140 
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JAN. 
FEB. 
MAR. 
APR. 
MAY 
JUNE 
JULY 
AUG. 
SEPT. 
OCT. 
NOV. 
DEC. 
Hi Number In V/A Number Out 
Fig. 4.— Cattle move in and out of the Flint Hills every month in the year but the peak of the in movement 
is in the spring and of the out movement in the fall 
Kansas City cattle prices, of the classes into which these grass-fat 
cattle fell, to advance somewhat above the prices paid for cattle of 
similar classes during the months just previous. When the general 
movement of western-range cattle gets well under way in August 
and September and the fleshier Kansas cattle are pretty well disposed 
of, the market declines. 
Cattle move to the Flint Hills pastures during April and early 
May, with a few scattering droves turned out to graze in late March. 
(Figs. 4 and 5.) The condition of the pastures, the cattle, and the 
market determine the time of movement off grass. The unfavorable 
market of 1921 caused a holding back of cattle, although pastures 
began to dry up somewhat earlier than usual. It was not until well 
into August of 1921 that grass cattle began their movement to 
market. The year 1922 was a good grass year and the cattle market was 
beginning to recover slowly from the low prices of the previous winter. 
The last two weeks of July saw the movement begin, in 1922, with 
the peak of the movement in late September. Exceptionally dry 
