Ripley County democrat. (Doniphan, Mo.) 1905-1920, 1912-12-06
VALUE OF THE SLIPPER.
Ths Part He Plays In suyIns and
Selling Live stock.


! The live stock shipper Is an impor-
tant factor In the modern selling sys.
TEN. His uses and benefits are many.
His nrst service to the industry 10 to
round up consignments from farmers
who wouldn't otherwise have the ben.
ent of Q good market. The farmer
wit. only q few head or half a car
load can't send his stun to market
himself. He hasn't enough Of 1t to
make 1t pay. And probably its mixed
stun. He has some medium weight
hogs--a dozen or so, Q few pigs,
couple OF heifers, q COW and maybe
bull. The animals are good enough.
But the buyers don't want them In
such small lots. The hogs must be
punched in with other hogs, enough
to make a car load This the shipper
does by buying other hogs of the
same weight and sends them into the
National Stock Yards as full load
The price he'll get on the full load
will be greater per head by far than
these same animals would bring II
they we're sent in by themselves as
part OF q general consignment.
He'll round up heifers enough to
make q load, pigs enough. maybe
enough cows to make a showing, and
when his car gets to market 1t will
be sorted out. In fact the commission
man at the yards helps the shipper by
sorting consignments to suit de-
manda. The live stock business pays
q premium for sorted stuff.
Another advantage Is the cash the
shipper pays. He gives the farmer
his money then and there. without de-
lay and without any uncertainty as to
what he will get, besides saving him
journey to market. The prices he
paSs are generally SO near the mar
ket that farmers are glad to get them.
They are usually higher than the
small consignments would bring II
sent In direct by the feeder.
The shipper is usually q business
man on good terms with his bank.
He can finance the STOCK ne handles
without difficulty. He quite often
works In harmony with the farmer in
the matter OF securing him stockers
and feeders at the National Yards,
perhaps advancing money to buy
stock or meet feed bills and stimulat
ing the feeder to keep up the good
work at times when he might get dis.
couraged.
Shippers are widely acquainted
through their districts. Some shippers
make long trips In autos or with their
horsemobilet These trips are a ben
eft to the farmer. They bring him q
message straight from the man who
IL In contact with the market. They
talk things over between them, dis
cuss crops and pass along a whole
world Of information that is strictly
practical.
The shipper keeps closely In touch
with market conditions, usually by
"hNp NhA HA0A bAC tAiuC 10 LLp0 tOlC- !
phones round and buys stock at prices
which the farmer might hot know
were being offered II II were not for
the shipper. The shipper wants to
make money, Of course. But he wants
the farmer to make money, too. So
he will stay In the business, even
when feed Il as high as It Is now, and
sell his stuff to the shipper. Hence the
shippers aim is to be able to offer
good prices and yet make some profit
Tor himself. Shrewd farmers say they
would rather let the shipper make
some money now and then and take
all the risk themselves Il
The most successful commission
arms. like the National, work In close
touch with shippers as we'll as farm.
srs and make no distinction between
hem.