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Show 15 MlvestoclO ..v.:vSituatioiXvl AfpJHTosVQ . r Los Angeles, California, July; 5 Increasing costs of hay and' concentrates are eiving livestock feeders no little concern. Aside from the hog market, livestock1 prices have chanced very little! during the first half of UU1, but' durin-j- the same period, the cost of all -e(K has advanced sharply.' as much as ."j0 per cent and even more. No. 1 brieht western bar- ley was selling the first week in January at Ixs Angcdes at $1.10 a cwt., while the price quoted at' the end of June was $1.00 a cwt. L. S. No. 1 alfalfa in January was quoted at Los Angeles at $15 to SIC a ton, while the same grade is now quoted at SI . to SH' a ton. Cottonseed meal, which was quoted quot-ed in January at S31 a ton, is now quoted at $38 in Los Angeles. Hog prices have advanced sharply this year, the top quotation quota-tion late last week of around $11.75 a cwt. comparing with SS.40 in January, and around $1.00 a year ago. Fed steers which were selling early in January Janu-ary at $n.in to $10 a cwt. are now quoted at $10 to $11 a cwt., a slight gain in comparison with, increased cost of feeding. The' general run of range cows which were bringing $0.50 to $8 a cwt. in January arp now selling at $0.50 to $7.75, yet again costs of production have increased materially.. ma-terially.. The problem fared by livestock feeders is to attempt to work out lower feeding costs by making more efficient use of the more costly feeds. Some feeders are answering this problem by putting in feed grinding and mixing machines. ma-chines. The full value of alfalfa hay, fir example, may lie obtained obtain-ed by chopping it, and its value as a feed may be increased by mixing mola sen with it. There are fewer steers on feed in southern California than a year ago. This is due partly to the relatively high cost of fecdstuf ffs, and al o because of the relatively narrow margin between the cost of feeder cattle and fat cattle. Cattle feeders who a year ago were able to show a profit on a "spread" or gain of 2c a pound i between ro:.t of feeders and the selling price of fed steers now feel that a .' pread of 2'lje to 3c a pound i.; nece ;:ary. Cattlemen are more than ever concerned with getting Hie last dollar pos-ihle out of their -.luck, and are n-.ing (lie cnnipet itive bidding bid-ding on Ihe central markets as a means to thii end. Juno cattle receipt : at. t lie Lo't Angeles Union Stock yard", were about 8,000 head larger than in June Inst year, and nm t. of tlii'i increase repre sent -i 1 1 ii change from sell- illg lit. liorne to selling Fit the stock ydrdi,. M |