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Show lSIivestock cffi ohtVs - r Los Angeles, California, January Jan-uary 25 J. A. McXaughton, vice president and general manager of the Los Angeles Union Stock yards, says: Continued rains here in California indicate that this may be one of the best feed years for some time. Grass over most of the state at the present time has enough strength in it so that cattle are beginning to pick up in flesh, and about the only worry of the cattlemen whose pastures are full is the future trend of the market. As is usually the case, there are a good many men over the state who wanted to wait to see how the feed was before buying buy-ing all of their cattle, and these men are in rather unfavorable position. Cattlemen who laid in stockers and feeders a month ago were able to buy their cattle at $1 to $1.50 per cwt. under the current prices for the came classes class-es of cattle. In fact, the present price of stock cattle is the highest in several years. Stock cows of only fair quality and age are selling sell-ing readily at $6.50 per cwt. here at the Los Angeles Union Stock Yards; and well-bred young cows would be eligible for more money. A string of good quality Arizona calves last woek sold at $11,50 per cwt. for heifers and $12 for steers here at the yards, average weight being around 400 pounds. However, with a good feed year in prospect, these cattle will stand their owners less per cwt. at the end of the grass season. There is no feed as good or as economical economi-cal as grass, and California's bur clover and filaree ranges rank at the top for growing and fattening cattle. Wearier calves will usually gain at least 200 pounds in a season sea-son in tbis state, and some cattlemen cattle-men report gains of 250 and occasionally oc-casionally 300 pounds. Consider for example the '100 pound steer calves that sold last week at 12 cents per pound. These calves cost ?. 18 per head. Assuming that they would gain 200 pounds in a season, the owner could afford to sell them at. nine cents per pound, which would lie $51, and he would still have received a fair price for his feed. If he ran these rattle two seasons, ho could stand a still lower price per cwt. for ((he yearling year-ling steer wit hunt losing money. Most, of California's stork calves ure laid in this year at around 10 rents per pound rather than 12 rents. How to ohlain the maximum value from native grass is one of the most fa: Hunting wt.uiljie to i be found. It has pretty well been j established that supplementing dry feed in the fall and early, winter with a high protein concentrate con-centrate is a good practice, as this prevents the cattle from shrinking, shrink-ing, and keeps them in good condition con-dition to go right ahead when grain feed becomes good. Quite a lot of work is being carried on 1 in correlating the use of irrigated permanent pasture with native range, to obtain tbe maximum value from both. Bringing cows and calves in from the range and for the summer permits carrying more cattle on the range, and re-; re-; suits in heavied calves at weaning 1 time. In fact, one prominent I California ranch last year sold I 500 pound weaner calves under this program. Improving the j uality of cattle, and suiting the class of cattle to the ranch set-up in the cattle industry. |