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Show Livestpc . SZ&h ; that the fall markets will not have the normal numbers of range lambs and it would appear- that pasturing and dry feeding of the thin California Califor-nia lambs might be worthy of consideration, con-sideration, as indications are that there will be something of a shortage of fat lambs next fall, when the fed California lambs would ordinarily be marketed. It appears that a larger proportion of southwestern cattle out' of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona will be pastured in rich grazing sections of the Flint hills of Kansas and Osage pastures of Oklahoma. With pasture conditions reported excellent, most of the land has been leased for southwestern south-western cat'.le at prices about 50 cents an acre higher than in 1928. The fact that more cattle than normal will be pastured In these sections does not necessarily mean that there will be more southwestern cattle to move but instead, reflects the drought conditions condi-tions so general over most of the southwestern country. In most cases, it is reported that cattle owners are pasturing their own cattle because of inability to fatten them out on home ranges. I Frost has seriously damaged certain cer-tain fruit crops in California. However, How-ever, except in cases where individuals individ-uals lost practically their entire crop, the situation is not alarming, as many of these deciduous fruit crops have suffered from over-production for the past few years. It seems to be Nature's own way of cutting down over-production. It is generally the ease that a smaller crop means higher high-er prices and possibly the total amount of money received for these crops this season will not be so much ' smaller than in years past when we I had more than the market would take, resulting in a very low price on what went to market and wasting the surplus. sur-plus. This is an important fact to consider by those who depend upon ; the California market. No doubt the i actual damage has been exaggerated but even so, there is no substantial impairment of California's purchasing purchas-ing power. Arizona will ship fewer cattle this season than in -many years past, according ac-cording to present estimates. Moreover, More-over, breeding stock now seems to be in the hands of those financially able and willing to rebuild the cattle business. busi-ness. It is estimated that the stock will make up only a very small part of the state's shipment of cattle, while in 1927, 26 per cent of the shipments ship-ments consisted of cows and heifers. The spring movement of cattle out of ; the entire southwest is estimated at 10 per cent less than last year. The lamb market is not as firm at this writing as earlier in the season, although the early California lambs are still selling at prices very attractive attract-ive to producers and relatively high in comparison with hogs and cattle. The present weakness in the lamb market is attributed by many in the trade to the fact that so many unfinished unfin-ished and half-fat lambs are going to meat distributors, due to the unfavorable un-favorable spring feed conditions in; most of the lamb producing sections of California. Off-quality products ; always tend to hinder consumption 1 and the public will not pay rela-! tively high prices for meats of com-1 mon and plain quality. i It has been pointed out by leade3 ' in the California sheep business that ; ranges are over-stocked. That suchi is the case in a relatively dry year seems to be proven this year, as ranges have been cropped closely, with the result that the quality of' feed has been impaired by dumping ! undesirable lambs on the market. The Inter-Mountain country, as well as most parts of Arizona, and New Mexico, have suffered from a severe winter. Sheepmen particularly have had a hard season, 'due in the northern north-ern country to an unusually severe winter and shortage of hay, and in the southwest, shortage of both feed and. water. Utah newly-bom lambs suffered seriously from a heavy April snowstorm. These factors indicate |