San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-02-11
Slight Increase in Weight
Says Department Of
Agriculture.
NO CHANGE IN SHEEP
Open Winter Has Made
Ranges Better---Stock Water
Shor in Panh and lie.


in Texas shows an improvement over
conditions that existed last month,
Cattle show an average condition for
the state of 50 per cent normal or an
increase of two points over last month S
! condition. indicating a slight increase
in weight from general range feeding
and because of the exceedingly open
winter weather which has so far pre-
vailed.
Sheep with condition of 30 per cent
normal show no chaLge from the pre-
viOuS month. Ranges, due to need of
rain, have decreased in condition slight
ly, the general condition of small range
Pastures being but 4G per cent of nor
NAL. The percentage of hay and rough
forage feed on hand February l is only
TO per cent of the amount needed.
The average prevailing prices of cat
tie on ranches February 1 is: Calves.
SIT; yearlings, SD, and 3-year-olds and
over, $40. The average movement for
this spring, as compared with last year,
will be considerably less with 81 per
cent for heiferS, IS per cent for steers
and a per cent for cows.
At the close of January, stock was
still short in many places in the Pan
handle. For the most part stock either
held their own or gained slightly in
flesh, due mainly to the open winter,
extensive range feeding and field graz
ing. 4 good rain is needed in North
Texas and with it considerable trading
should develop with very little advance
in prices. So far losses have been slight
In Hartley and Moore, cattle are in
better shape than they have been for
some time. There have been consider
able shipments of steers in some sections
and these will go to the Kansas pastures
in April. Late January rains, though
light, helped the situation in some To-
calities and with spring grass, the pros
poets for an early and good calf crop
are favorable.
Stock i'm North Fair.
There is good grass i'll the low places
and the wheat and oat grazing is fairly
good, with little dry feeding in the
Wichita section. Denver buyers of
calves and aged steers have appeared in
the Dallas section. Over the south
plains, the range is still very poor and
cake feeding is still necessary.
Reports from NCs.ng county state that
sufficient rain has fallen to insure
spring grass. while HemphilI section re-
ports an abundance of both water and
grass.
In the North district there have been
some purchases made OF stOckpr heif-
rrs, yearlingS and cows from the Fort
Worth market. Stock is, generally
speaking, in fair shape; stock water is
sufficient: there is a good crop of grass
in the ground and the winter has been
very mild. A good general rain was
reported on January 20 and the result
was that pasturing of stalk fields has
been very valuable as supplemental
food.
Pecos and Brewster, in the West dis
trict. report the feeding of cake to all
stock where the grass is short. 4 good
rain was needed in Reeves, Ward and
Loving. although the stock, in general,
is holding IN very well wherever fed at
all.
Range Good Around Here.
The Midland section reports good
prospects for good calf crop with some
trading in steers but with few stock
cattle sold. While there will be a short
age of steers for the spring trade. there
arc many of the finest breeding COWS
now available.
In the Central district. there is con
siderable dry lot feeding of calves. ycarI-
ings and aged steers with grass and
weeds still short However. the eastern
section of the state reports an abund-
anCc of grass and water with health and
general conditions good. but no demand.
In the South and Southeast sections
the range, with certain exceptions, is
said to be fairly good. Medina county.
however. REPORTS some decline in flesh
and poor prospects for grasS-fat cattle
in the spring. Refugio has practically
no yearling steers and but few two.
three and four-yCar-OldS. Live Oak in
dictated that the spring movement will
be but 30 per cent normal with but 50
per cent of the normal number Of steers.
Iavalla has little StOcker trading but
expects an increased movement soon.
In La Sale the country is considerably
OvcrStoCkCd because of poor spring and
summer markets, but indications are
that the feed supply is very good.
Will Move Some Cattle.
Unless rain falls very soon. there will
be few fat cattle for the spring move
ment. In Victoria the stock is in fair
ly good shape although the eastern por-
ton reports a shortage Of grass. Jack
son has no young steers and few aged
ones with the prospects for spring move
mcnt looking very dull. Gonzales states
that the movement will be better than
normal if the needed rains arrive, but
otherwise it will be less. The dry sea
son will delay the movement in and
around Kinney. according to reports.
while San Patricio expects. no move
ment until May.
Frio shows some restocking but it is
not reported as being heavy and the
prospects for the snring movement are
very unfavOrable. In McMulIcn. nearly
all big steers will be fat and ready for
in April with an increase of
80 per cent over last year. Zavalla
also reports 30 per cent increase over
last year although the range has been
dry.
1t is expected that $500 head Of aged
steers will be sent to Kansas and Okla
hOma for summer grass out of south
west Brazoria and southeast yatagorda,
the total movement TO be ABBOTT the same
as that of last year,