Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1888-08-10
WHEN 70 SELL STOCK. :
Til. Losses Farmers sustain by heep'"s
Cattle Too Long.

by keeping animals ih.e"@o
nroducing meat too long is certain
An the reports of our fat stock falrs
show that the gain in weight OF ca''ie
is the greatest while they are young
and the smallest after they nav
maturity. They also show
that Young animals will thrive ana De-
come fat on cheaper food than oiu ones
will. Young cattle will take on hesn
and fat if they have no other 10 q than
grass in the summer and hay IN inc
winter. Old cattle, however must
have grain or they will not improve III
condition. Their appetite is not so
keen and their digestion is not as goo'
as when they were young. The like Is
rue in respect to pigs. When young
hey will eat almost any thlhg' anu
wul convert much of it into flesh anu
fat. As they advance in age they take
,ess exercise, have less keen appe-
tite. and are more particular apo"'
heir food. Their digestion is not as
GOOD. and rs a consequence the food
they consume does not produce so grea'
a gain in weight
Sheep raised chiefly for their flesh
should be prepared for market and dis-
posed of early. If they are raised
partly for their flesh and partly Tor
their wool there is ordinarily no gain
ii. keeping them over more than three
u,;ptars II is difficult to feed an old
sheep so that it will afford good nut.
ton. 1t may be policy to keep good
breeding ewes as long as they will raise
lambs. but the profit in keeping them
will be in the lambs, as the mothers
will be likely to decrease in value after
they are four years old. The risk OF
keeping animals intended to furnish
meat beyond the time when ey can
be fitted for the market should be al
ways taken into consideration. The
risks incident to disease are very large
in the care of pigs, now that the swine
plague and hog cholera hav" become so
common and are so generally fatal. A
delay of few days in fattening and
selling q lot of pigs may result in the
loss of all of them. The risk in keep
ing a lot of steers or sheep is not as
great but it is considerable.
Farmers are generally anxious tc
keep an animal till such time as it will
bring the highest price that can be OBJ
tanned for it They like to obtained {
large sum of money for I'M ANNA
raised on place. and have the credi
of obtaining it. There is some pleas
ure in having a steer that weighs a tor
and in receiving the amount of none,
it will bring in the market 1t shoult
be remembered, however, that the las
five hundred pounds added to it
weight are generally obtained at a loss
The grain consumed in producing i
was worth more than the feed, ant
could have been sold for more money
1t should also be remembered tina
there is greater risk in keeping a yer,
heavy animal than one of light o
medium weight. 1t is more liable tc
injuries on the place where it is KEEP
or in the car in which it is transported
4 very heavy animal is defenseless
and. if it receives slight injury, i
not likely to recover from it 1t cal
not be driven any considerable dis
lance without suffering from fatigue o
a loss in weight 1t can not endur
extremes of heat and cold as well as
smaller animal.
A few years ago there was quite al
inducement held out to farmers to fee,
steers till they weighed 1000 pound
each and to keep a lot of hogs till the,
av' ragged 400 pounds. The highes
prices in all our markets were paid TO
extra heavy-weights." Such is no
now the case. A well-fattened stee
weighing from 800 to 1900 pound
will bring as much per pound as on
weighing a ton. A few very heav
steers are wanted by city butchers TO
the Christmas trade. Their meat
desired for making a display and at
tractive to customers. For o-dinar
trade, however, medium-sized animal
are preferred. They cut up to bette
advantage, and the size of the 70 st
and steaks are nearer what most Gus
toners desire. What is true of steer
is also true of hogs. AT one time Their
was demand for specimens of
mated lard WEIGHING from 400 to 60
pounds. Now that Strictly pure kettle
rendered hogs lard is made from bee
tallow and co tton-seed oil. there is n
occasion for ma King pigs very fat, and
as medium-sized hams and shoulder
are more desirable than very larg
ones. there is no reason for feedin
hogs till they are overgrown.
Quite likely baby beef and pig por
are improbable alike to the seller an
the buyer, but mature, well-ripene
meat can be produced without keepin
ANNA till they exhibit marks of ag,
Some kinds of stock can be sold whe
cry young at higher pr ces than the
W IL ever brin afterward. Such is tn
case with lambs that are dropp d earl
n the season. A lamb which is {
good size when the first green peas a,
pear in the make can often b. sol
Tor more money than sheep that
three or four years old. Spring chicl
ems sell for more than fowls that hay
lived long enough to eat bushels {
corn. In relation to draft animals
may be said that it never pays the
raisers to keep them till they have b,
gan to decline in value on account {
Did age or infirmities. Keeping horse
until they have ou,lived their usefu
hess may give evidence of sentimer
and of kndly feeling, but it is n losin
business so far as the pocket is col
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