HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
9
Marketing of Livestock
By STOCK EDITOll. .
fTilJE satisfactory results
I by the various co-operative as
sociations in marketing grain
and fruits, leads many to believe
mac something might be accom
plished through the use of like meth
ods in marketing livestock. But up
to the present little of a thorough
nature has been" attempted. One as
sociation In Wisconsin seems to have
been successful and is able to show-
some satisfactory and tangible re-
amis, un a cars of stock shipped
by them a net gain of 10c to 15c
per hundred can be shown over sell
ing at home.
The grain and fruit organizations
nave for their object the control of
the entire output and, ultimately, the
dictation of the orlce. with the
livestock growers and feeders an-
otoer object is in view at least for
the present.
Livestock .is marketed the whole
year through. Stock is nut on feed
to be finished at a certain definite
time and when that time comes and
the stock Is finished there is Just one
ming to ao and that is to sell. The
problem to solve under these condi
tions is to get the last possible dol
lar at that time on the open market.
That market will be governed by
demand and supply.
Getting to Murkct.
To many the steps in getting to
market are familiar, but to thou
sands of small feeders it looks like
a big undertaking. As a matter of
fact it is simple. In the first place,
get in touch with the market. Get a
weekly market letter. Then as the
time approaches write to your com
mission firm, describing your stock
and saying what you exoect to shin
They will gladly give reliable infor
mation and advice. The next thing
then is to order the car for a er-
tain date, when that dav comes
load the stock and consign it to the
nrm tnat is to handle it. Get In
the caboose and go with it.
You will find upon arrival that
the railroad has advised the firm
handling the stock as to when It will
arrive. They will be there to re
ceive It and care for it from that
time on. Men with daily experience
will feed and water in a way to get
the best possible results aa to the
fill. Finally, they will be sold by
an expert in their particular line. A
man who knows their worth and,
what is more, who needs them and
who will pay most. When sold the
stock is driven to the scale and
weighed by a disinterested party,
But one thing remains, then," and
that is the check. The commission
firm will deduct all charges and issue
the check.
Now it seems that with matters so
simple there Is no good reason why
any man should not ship his own
stock. He can, and eventually he
will. Then why the shipping associa
tion? An association will serve two
purpdses.
Way to Co-opefHte.
First It will provide for a man
at nominal expense to accompany
each load to market, and thus save
time for those who are too busy to
go.
Second It will provide for the
small producer, the man with but a
few head who, under any other plan
must sell to a speculator. His stock
can go along with that of his neigh
bor and realize for him its actual
worth.
An association of this kind neeijs
no hard and fast organization sim
ply an effort among individuals to
get together for better results. The
next time you have a part of a car
of stock to market, call up your
neighbors and see how long It will
take to find plenty of stock of some
kind to fill In. Yon will be surprised
to find how many of them are anx
ious to take advantage of any op
portunity to get full market value
for what they have produced. It be
longs to them.
Green Feed for Chicken.
Washington Star: Keep the oats
sprouting apparatus going all the
time at this season of the year. If
a. flat is used, keep the truys of
sprouts coming on in succession. The
hens can't have too much of this
feed, In reason, during the winter
months. It's a great egg inducer,
and it economizes feed. After oats
have been sprouted in the trays once
or twice, scald each tray out with
boiling water to which a little for
malin has been added. One-tenth of
1 per cent, of the formalin Is a strong
enough solution. If formaldehyde Is
used, the solution may be one-half
of 1 per cent. This will prevent the
formation of mold in the trays and
In the sprouting oats. 1
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Livestock Is the Money Maker
ONE need be much of a seer
or prophet to foresee the tre
mendous demand the world will
make on America for food supplies
during the next year or two. The
problem Is how to meet the demand.
The high price of vheat now ruling
and likely to prevail for some time
will boost the wheat acreage. The
Winter wheat acreage already sown
establishes a new high record, with
nearly 40,000,000 acres, and no
doubt the Spring acreage also will
bo proportionately as large.
But wheat-growing is more or less
of a speculative business on account
of weather uncertainty, so the farm
ers who wish to play safe will con
tinue to depend upon diversified
crops, and those who go in strong
for livestock and dairying will be
the surest of good profits. The prices
of livestock are high and. bound to
continue so for Fome time, regardless
of all efforts to increase the supply.
The bankers throughout the North
west have now been active for sev
eral years in the work of promoting
the livestock industry and helping
the farmers to get more and higher
grade stock.
Summing up the livestock problem,
W. E. Briggs, vice-president of the
Northwestern National Bank of Min
neapolis, recently said:
It Is not a matter of trusts or com
binations, notwithstanding that Is
what the Federal Government began
to look for when first the fact became
apparent that there waa not meat
enough to go around at old prices. It
is not a combination of cattlemen, or
butchers. It )s the Inevitable working
out of economic laws. Legislation can't
grow cattle.
Insofar as we can educate people to
the situation and influence the pro
ducers, we may check the trend and
even restore former conditions in part.
But laws cannot bring it about and if
the years of the Immediate future show
the trend continuing, even higher
prices than any yet heard of will have
to be paid by meat eaters. The simple
fact Is that the country, for several
years, has not been producing meat
enough to go around.
Marketing of calves Is one of the
great evils. How to check it is a
problem. At South St. Paul, tor ex
ample, of total livestock receipts for
the last three years, nearly 25 per cent
has been calves. The farmer who is
dairyman finds it less troublesome to
sell the calves. This has been a factor
of adverse effect for several years. It
Is likely to bo especially bad now that
prices of farm products, corn espe
cially, are so high. There will be less
Inducement to the farmer to feed his
stock.
I am not pessimistic on the outlook.
On the contrary I think much can be
done. I look for the recent Govern
ment report to take its place as ono
of the most Important of Its l:ind. It
makes plain to all who may care to
study It, and many will study it with
the greatest Interest, the causes for
the higher meat prices, with facts and
figures. It makes it apparent that w
have to produce more cattle, cat les
meat, or pay higher prices for it.
It is then a problem to be solved
not by legislation, but by co-operation
between the farmers and the
bankers and other business men.
The prosperity of this great North
west is closely linked with the de
velopment of the livestock industry.
The days of the great cattle ranges
are past aid the possibilities for live
stock on the ordinary farm of diversi
fied crops are shown by the great
state of Iowa. She leads all other
states, according to the United States
census reports, in the value of the
livestock on her farms. The figure
were $393,000,000 in 1910, which
is about 25 per cent,, greater than
even the vast state of Texas can
boast, with all its range country. In
cidentally, it lmy be mentioned that
recent reports of the Department of
Agriculture give Iowa the first place
in the value of all farm products, at
$3,13,000,000 per annum, Illinois
being second at $3 19,000,000. Edi
torial in Commercial West.
Method.
"I suppose," said oue wife to an
other, "that you never argue with
your husband."
"Only when be is mending a punc
ture," was the reply. "When he is
thoroughly irritated, he makes a
much better job of It."