Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-12-17

ton, "Itow's i've stock IN Utah
this mu?' depends altogether
q upon to whom the inquiry Is ad.
dressed.
A sheepman Of the ordinary type who
usually conceals bis ioy0usness when
things come his way, would quietly ex-
press his satisfaction with The results
OF the year. ana possibly permit himaaI {
TO enthuse just q li,tle If be touched
upon the prospects Qf his Industry
Horsemen, and particularly the dealers
IN eQulnes, would loosen up with cheer
Ing stories of the advance made ln
prices as well as the vast improve
ment IN the demand for all sorts OF
horsenesh, and even the few swine
breeders az the state would declare mat
both prices past and prospective are
wholly encouraging 10 pork makerf
But a coWmau would talk differently
Things haven't been coming az smooth-
~ for him. The chances are he'd men-
ton some OF his dIsapp0lutmenls 10 q
Questioner, ana tell the truth as ma
feelings prompted In which event he'd
probably employ the expressive but
inelegant term rotten 90 convey his
disgust with the present situation And
the average beef eater would sympa-
thIze with the producers pesslmlsm,
and applaud him heartily Tor che direct
ness and plauness OF its utterauce. be-
cause the price decline ON the hoof has
meant no economy OF expenditure to
consumers here or elsewhere.
CATTLE VALUES VERY Low
It does not appear that cattle values
in this state on for that matter any
where In the country, have shrunk con-
siderably during the past Welvemonlhi
but they have remained on the lowest
level they touched last year. ana the
demand for the Kinds OF cattle Titan
produces has lesscned measurably since
the season Of o. The effect of this
locally has been dearth Of sales by
ranohmen compared with their usual
turmoil In the summer and fan months.
The bulk Of the yearlngs, and two
year-Old steers as WELL h being car
ried into the winter by producers for
lack OF bidders and the sales OF she
stun durng the year for other than To-
cal butcherIng purposes, have been
lighter than Tor many seasons pre-
yiousy.
Among the smaller cowmen for sew
eral seasons the home Killers have en-
oouraged a disposition 10 get the two
year-old steers fat enough for the block,
aud fully half, n not a greater proper
ton OF tho steers now being killed IN
Utah are on the juvenile order The
high price OF hides Is responsible for
the tendency largely but the fact that
the younger cattle are smoother and
OF better proportion, and that consum-
ers want small steaks from their mar
ket people, contribute to the change OF
demand noted.
Beef eaters among the smaller fom-
lies OF moderate means want cuts from
small loIns or light quarters, and the
average selling steak In biggest de-
mand is the cut the buyer can take
home for not to exceed 40 centa
WE ARE EATING HOME BEEF.
The bulk Of the beef consumed In
Utah Is OF home production at all srN-
sons OF the year, and 1t has been more
exclusively state product or that OF
the ranges Of adjoining states, dunnb
the past summer than has been the case
for several years, The low prices paid
for cattle on the eastern markets dur
Ing the fall OF 1893, as well as the in
creaslng demand Tor fat stun which
has developed IN The west and north
west, have induced stockmen to feed
out more cattle at the sugar factories
ON pulp, and In their own lots on u-
Germ, than was formerly the practise
Sales Of this class Of cattle were made
In the early months OF this year at
prices but slightly lower than those
prevalent IL months before, or ON "a basis
Of from 50 to SS.2i for cows, and from
1915 to Si,25 for steers, Practically an
OF the full fed steers were sold 10 west
ern killers, coast and sound men dyid-
Ing the supplies with our own butch
ers, and very few shipments OF any age
cattle went TO eastern feed lot men or
upon the open markets,
Physically the cattle business OF the
state has been In excellent shape
throughout the year. Grass was back
ward In the early spring but the ranges
came fast after the warm weather got
working on them and the winters
moisture, supplemented by timely rains
throughout the summer, made better
outside pasturage over most OF the
state than rauchmen have been favored
with IN recent years.
THE PACKING HOUSE STRIKE.
The big strike among packing house
employees In the early summer and the
uncertain outlook for corn kept east
ern buyers on the western ranges when
they ordinarily were out looking iui
stun; and the check upon the moyl-
ment OF marketable cattle imposed ny
former interruption OF the daily selling,
as well as the continuing high price OF
corn, curtalled operations to a degree
that confined active trading In feeders
Gs well as the fat kinds Of cattle to the
big selling points, or IN close reach Of
the latter jumping or places.
The effect was very dlscouraglng ny.
on our own coWmen In advance Of the
rlpenlng time OF their steers, and II
also prevented sales OF stockers and the
usual summer trading which was ex.
pected 20 increase rather than dlmin-
ish. As consequence shipments from