The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-12-29

+ a renewal Of trading may be expecte C
{ on bigger scale probably than tn,
! business has known for three years.
+ consequently. the reduction Of 81 IN
the valuation of this years holding.
+ over the herd Oh hand a year ago is
{ not significant. The cattle are beins
I held by our people on feed enough tC
carry them until grass comes. When
/ the improved demand will add the two
/ missing plunks, if not more, TO the
/ estimated present worth.
Fat Cattle Sell High.
In the meantime. fat cattle at home
aud at eastern selling places Cor block
/ use are selling for about the same
/ money they brought year ago. The
/ very best made beef is somewhat high
eT at big packing centers, and the
CHRISTMAS article has weighed up dur
ing the last thirty days at more fanci-
Iui figures than that quality has
I brought in many years.
And ali the time the talk among cow
men is that prices must advance
StlHiy between now and spring because
the supply on feed VIII not provide fer
the intermediate demand. This cover
ing The country generally. Tt win be
true Of the west pretty surely, and it
may work out that eastern
feeders viii be able to miss
the hammers Of the dig fell
lows who buy their fat stuff this
year Certainly there are not as many
cattle being fed 55-cent corn as fill
the feed lots when the latter commod-
ity sells for > cents a bushel. but there
may De enough eating such substitutes
as will bring them into condition for
me shamDies to meet the requirements
OF such lessened consumption as
would follow upon any considerable
ADVANCE Of present retailing prices.
steer cattle here viii probably sell for
AZ before spring. and fat cows will
chase them up to the even money
mark They are not likely to go high
er- At that selling price they will
make good money for feeders, and beef
VIII still remain within the reach Of
the ordinary Utah consumer.
Half a million sheen make a good
big flock even out here in Utah. In
tact. II would make 200 such flocks as
our sheepmen usually handle their bid
dies In for the profitable conduct of
the business. And yet there seems no
good reason TO doubt that the 250.O
meat-eaters of this state have stripped
the bones of that number during the
past twelve months. The average
weight OF dressed carcaS ses has not
exceeded fifty pounds. and therefore
the average per capita consumption
has been 700 pounds for the 365 days
Sheepmen Suffered.
The year has not been a good one for
our ttockmasters. Rather they have
had much better years. The wool did
but fairly well while it was on the
Sleeps backs, and it Jared worse at
the hands of buyers after it was
clipped The yield was a pound TO the
sheep lighter generally speaking, than
It was in 1900, owing TO the range and
weather conditions of last winter. and
the average sales of 1901 were on
basis of 4 cents per pound less than
those made the year before. The lamb
crop was smaller for the SAINT. reason
that the wool didn't grow as long, and
flOckin2sters' expectations got a 10 per
cent Jolt when they took the final tally
Of their youngsters. The grief kept
coming to the end Of the season. Sales
We're made on the market off grass at
prices averaging % cents per mutton
and 50 cents per lamb less than the
previous years prices and the condi-
tons were such as to discourage turn
ing or anything but the fat sort. 1t
has been the practice of Utah growers
to sell q great many thousands of
fiOcls leave the summer ranges for
their winter resorts on the deserts.
This demand was entirely cut out this
year b. The failure Of the corn crop, but
several of our own people, including
Saunders, the BecksteaGs, Noble and
others, have pushed OFF thousands from
the Utah and Wyoming ranges into the
feed lots Of Illinois and Nebraska.
where they are handing them rations Of
and other high-priced truck
In the expectation Of making a killing
later on. They ought to make it big. as
the cost Of grain back there has buff
faloed the mOney-Ienders, who usually
carry the smaller feeder buyers. and
trimmed up the larger ones to a degree
)f cautiCusness in the matter Of their ;
holdings. There are not nearly so
many sheep or feed therefore. and
With beef and pork hitting the high /
places, there is room for mutton 10
make a considerable rise from its pres (
snt notch at eastern centers.
Locally our killers are finding fat
sheep a scarce commodity already. and I
between now and spring the drain upon /
supplies VIII send prices for the fat /
kinds of sheep fully as high as they
vent last winter and probably notch +
higher. For the reasons already stated 4
Dur breeders did not turn off as many
.heep this year as they cid the one
'etore, and in view of this II would
ieem that there should be an increased
lumber to work on for breeding. wool
md sale purposes next season. There
ioubtiess IS an increase in the number
'elng carried over, but is not so con-
adorable as many estimate it,
E.1~
We, started in on the year with focks
ggTegating in round numbers. 8. 200 GOO
heep. The best tab caught on shin
rents indicate that we marketed 500
60 head at an average price
u $50; We have eaten another half
llillon that Were worth a like sum. and
bout 80 coo have died from all disease
auses during the year. The lamb crop
the state was IN the neighborhood
L I.loV'UOO ana the net gain in its fiOcks
1r the year IS, therefore, approximate
, $1,000 head.
The wool crop for 1901 was about
',UUU,UOo pounds, the average price of
men was 10 cents. Stock sheep In
he minds of all but insistent owners
re valued as low as S2.25 per head
his year. which is fully IS cents less
han the worth at which they were
ated a year ago.
According TO this figuring then. the
ocks OF the state for the past year
lstify the following statement Of gain { ,
nd less
on h1nd jan ], lso0-
-Vy'ey4 az ez.'9..s... .........S S, SOC, 600 ,
old $4,000 at $250.... ... 1.250.O0
re 5JO.Vtu at SZ.50..-... $500 I250 000
WOOL 100000 pounds at Zoe. 700 600