The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1904-05-01

| kept them two winters and had them
on full feed for about seven months.
had them ready for market for the
easter trade and loaded them at 8
o'clock a. IN. After a three hours
run we were coupled onto a regular
through stock train of about fourty
cars, and although it was 400 miles
to Chicago, we were there for early
breakfast next bay. To these reg
ular fast stock trains there is usually
attached rough sleeping car made
from an old worn out coach and as
there is very little to do in caring
for the cattle on the trip bed in this
car is very handy. The car was full
of regular veteran drovers and more
jovial and square lot of men l never
expect to meet On reaching Chica-
go, my stock billed directly to COM
mission firm as should always be the
case, was taken in charge by the reg
ular stock yard man, while the COM
mission merchant took charge OF
me. I learned more in the Chicago
stock yards in that half day while my
stock was being sold than I ever knew
before and while I knew that my
steers would not top the market, they
compared less favorably with the
top-notchers than l thought they
would. By nine o'clock my cattle
were all unloaded, watered, fed and
sorted for sale---that is arranged in
punches so that each steer would
bring the highest possible price. Of
course if a bunch is very even sort
ing is unnecessary Then came the
buyers and there were many that
morning---buyers from each of the big
packing establishments, buyers for
the New York city market, and buyers
for export to Europe, as well as a
bunch of scalpers or men who buy to
hold only for a day or So That day
$4,000 head were in the yards, and
in two hours they had all been sold
and the yards cleared. By noon the
cattle had all gone over the scales
and I had my check for $4,000,
which represented nice little profit
above cost of the feeders and feed.
After the cattle had been sorted up,
the commission man l employed called
me to one side and told me to say
nothing about the state from whence
1 came as he could get me better
prices and he did sell them for above
five cents, twenty of them to go to
the LONDON MARKET. l. HIS put u10
to thinking, as it was the first time
l had ever been asked to deny my nat
i've state. The only satisfaction I
got out of it was that l received a
better price than some of the other
breeders even if did have to disown
my own state to do it. 1t costs about
fifty cents hundred to market cattle
in Chicago. This is based on rate
of twenty-five cents and allows for
shrinkage, commission, freight, etc.
Fat cattle will shrink more than lean
ones in shipping. My cattle shrunk
about fourty pounds apiece while I
once shipped 100 head of lean cattle,
unloading once and feading oats, with
shrinkage of only five pounds apiece.
1 always consign my fat cattle direct
to commission men and go with them
myself only for what I can learn, as
the owner has absolutely nothing to
do with his cattle after they reach
the yards, except to get his check
for them l have never been wronged
out of cent this way, as everything
is done squarely and honestly. Keep
your cattle until they are fully finished
as there is difference from 81 to So
hundred between finished and half
finished stuff. The more good cattle