The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1882-04-15
harke. Classification of Live stock.

Market Classification OF Live stock
Though the subject was discussed once
before, the many months that have inter
| vened have added thousands of new
readers to our lists, to whom the subject
| will be new, and it is impossible fol
even the oldest hands to have toe
thorough knowledge of this important
subject. q technical definition of the
terms employed at the greatest market
| in the world, cannot fail to be of inter
| est, even to those who are tolerably
conversant with them.
| First in Importance come hogs, as
| their valuation as we'll as number far ex.
ceed my other class Of live stock. The
| principal grade is common to good
mixed packing grades, usually designa-
| ted as common to good mixed" This
grade is principal, because, notwith-
standing the progressing Improvement
| the mass of hogs are below what would
properly be called good quality 1t in
| cludes, ordinarily, all that are left out
of an ayercge ear load of hogs after the
strictly prime heavy barrows, smooth
$50 and 200 b hogs, and the poorest
skips and understandable heavy hogs
have been sorted out. Assuming that
we have an average load of sixty hogs
just as they would run from the farmers
feed lot, we will show how each grade is
disposed of by sorting, though the ex-
| tent of this sorting or selecting depends
entirely upon the general state of the
market; for instance, when the supply is
light and the demand usually active, the
salesman who is supposed to be q good
Judge, can sell his hogs straight" or
| just as they arrive, to the packers for
more money than could be got by cut
ting the load up. But to return to the
| subject; out of lot of sixty hogs taking
about eight of the choicest, the '.Phila-
delphia and lard hogs" would be disposed
of; the ''light hog" man would get about
fifteen choice hogs, averaging 180 to 260
pounds; then after taking out seven skips
and coarse culls there would be left
thirty hogs, which properly come under
the head of Common to good mixed. VI
If the salesman thought he would not be
justified in selling out his Philadelphia
"top," he might sort out all of his rough
packers, light hogs and skips, and sell
the bulk of the lot under the head of
'.heavy packing and shipping.
1t is impossible to observe any gen.
eral rule for selling hogs, for the reason
that no two lots will have just the same
proportion of the different grades. One
man might have such large proportion
of good heavy hogs that buyer would
be willing to take skips and all at good
round price, for the sake of getting the
choice stock, while another man might
have half a dozen or so prime hogs, the
balance of very low quality. Herein
lies the value of a competent salesman
who is good Judge. Oftentimes very
high price can be got for a few hogs,
which leaves the majority of such poor
quality as to be obliged to sell at ex-
tremely low rates; and as a rule, it does
not pay to sort out the top hogs, unless
the majority are of good quality. The
term good mixed naturally implies
smooth, fat hogs without pregnant sows,
and reasonably free from 'skips" or
light, tail-end pigs and stags, though
frequently including good light hogs.
The safest rule for country shippers to
follow, is to see that their shipments in.
clude as many heavy packing and ship
ping and choice light hogs, and a few
skips and common mixed as possible.
Cattle in our market reports are classed
as follows: Extra" being the highly
bred and thoroughly ripe animals. Or
dinarily 'export" steers include we'll
fatted 1400@ 1900 lb cattle, and of rule
the choicest selections of the offering ex-
cept at times when Christmas beeves are
coming forward. It Is common belief
that export cattle are only the most
highly finished animals, but this is erro-
neous as plain from the fact that cattle
are constantly being bought for export
alive in greater or lesser numbers; but
drove of cattle of the quality referred
to as ''extra" is not. by any means. a
common sight as this, the greatest mar
ket on the globe. Shipping cattle usually
include steers from HOO lbs upwards; !;
"good to choice" steers are those fat and
averaging 1250@ 1850 lbs, while medium,
fair and common designate the next
lower qualities, and too frequently rep
resent the bulk of the offerings.
"Mixed butcher stock includes COWS,
bulls, thin steers, stays and oxen.
"Stockers and feeders" are young cat
tie suitable for stocking the pastures or
feed lots, while "milkers and springers''
are fresh cows and COWS in calf.
Range cattle" include through"
Texas, Northern Texans, or those tn at
have been driven up North when you ng,
and grazed in Kansas, Colorado, Ne
braska, Wyoming or Dakota. These
latter are usually in better condition and
sell for about Soc p 100 lbs. more
than the former. Americans"
are the original cattle of the north
ern States and Territories, while the off
spring of improved bulls and Texas, or
northern native COWS, are known as
'half- breeds"
Sheep are largely sold to shippers and
exporters. If good, but to local butchers
if of poor quality, while we'll bred but
lean lots are usually taken to the conn
try for stockers and feeders Drovers'
Journal.