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A' V- PAGE TEN COCONINO SUN FRIDAY, MAY 25, 1817 r Range and Market News Items of Interest Pertaining to the Livestock Industry of Arizona, Market Letter for the Past Week. WEEKLY KANSAS CITY STOGKJflARKET REPORT Kansas City Stock Yards, May 21, 1917. Cattle receipts were 12,000, market strong and active, following a rise of 25 to 35 cents last wek, top sters $13.10. Hog supply was 9000, market steady to 5 lower, top 16.40, numeruos loads $10.35. Sheep and lamb receipts were 4000, market steady, fed lambs $20.10, spring lambs $18, clipped lambs $17. Beef Cattle Scarce Three loads of pulp fed steers sold at $13.10, making a new high record, other pulp steers at $12.00 to $12.90. No prime natives were here, but they are worth up to $13.25 or better. Good to choice natives sold up to $12.90, medium and plain short fed cattle downwards to $10. Fourteen loads of California steers at $10.50 to $12.7$, weighing 880 to 1070 lbs. In the quarantine division half fed steers sold at $9.50 to $11.25, weights from 870 to 1040 lbs. a string of quarantine cows sold at $7.25 to $8.50, and 3 loads of Oklahoma calves brought $9.25 to $13.50. Choice heavy cows sell up to $11.25, heifers $12.25, bulls $10.50, veal calves $14.00. The supply was drawn from.n wide territory, in cluding Texas, California, Wyoming, Colorado and all the nearby states, in dicating scarcity. Stockers and Feeders Slump The market has been rather dull for a week, with sales at the finish last week 25 cents under the best time. Prices today were barely steady, but there was a feature sale today of 300 head of Panhandle White Face heifer stock calves, 332 lbs. average, at $12. Stock steers sell at $8 to 10, not many feeders going out, as killers are pay ing more than country buyers for them. Hogs May Drop The early market was steady to order buyers and traders, but packers held out for lower prices. They got a few hogs that way, but most of the hogs sold around steady, two loads at the top, $10.40, half a dozen or more loads at $16.35, including some med ium weights, top on lights $16.10, bulk of sales $15.80 to $16.35. -Corn plant ing has held receipts down for a week, tut a general rain Sunday and Mon day may release a fair run for later this week, in which event the killers. are primed lor an attempt to break prices a little. However, the market is regarded as pretty safe, though a run of hevay fat sows is about due. and there will be some slashing of nrices on these. Arizona Lambs $17.50 Each class of lambs was represent ed today by a few head, but the total was small, and far below require ments. Best fed Iambs sold at $20.10, equal to the top paid last week, Ari zona spring lambs $17.50, South Tex as spring lambs $18, clipped fed lembs $17, the whole market right at the best point yet reached. No Texas goats were here, but some common Oklahoma brushers sold at $9.75, good brushers worth $11, fat goats last week at $11. J. A. RICKART, Market Correspondent MUNITIONS AT THE MARKET During the past half decade mar keting of cattle, hogs and sheep has been revolutionized. The yearling steer has acquired popularity, the bulk of the hog crop goes to the Duicner ai less man iweive monwis oi ace and the sheen industry has gone on a lamb basis. Buyers who went down into Texas this spring to secure cattle for replenishing Kansas pas tures found few and were compelled to take two-year-olds to stock their crass. The northwest has, for the same reason, been compelled to take yearlings instead of two-year-olds. At Chicago few fat cattle now show more than two years of age and the pro portion of yearlings is rapidly in creasing. Supply statistics may show a gain, but it is erroneous from a beef, tonnage standpoint. Hogs are con stantly beincr marketed at lichter weights, for economic reasons, and the bulk ot the western iamb crop now goes to the butcher at ages ranging from 5 to 10 months. Five years ago aged cattle and wethers were to be found cverywhreo in the west, but reserves have practically disappeared and the whole trade is on a hand-to-mouth basis. Contracting of unborn calves and Iambs on an enormous scale has been a feature of the trade this year at unprecedented prices. Could more convincing evidence of actual scarcity be desired? Even the aged brood sow is threatened with extinction, the new practice being to keep this year's gilts for next year's pig crop, sending yearling sows to the stock yards as soon as possible after they have weaned one crop of pigs, a practice that is blamed by experts for diminishing pig crops. All this means less beef, pork and mutton tonnage, insuring the grower against recur rence of such periods of excess supply and price demoralization at the mar kets as was an inseparable feature of the trade during the period of plenti-tude. A HANDICAPPED INDUSTRY CALF RAISING THAT PAYS J. A. .Beck of Early, Iowa, mar keted a load of 846-lb Shorthorn year, lings at $12.50 at Chicago yesterday and is prepared to make oath and tes tify that it is one kind of beef pro duction that pays. Beck is a renter, does not possess a silo and depends on grass, hay and corn in his beef making operations. If there is a profit in the business un der such conditions it would be vastly enhanced under such reduction of cost as would bo possible by the use of silage. The Iowa man's way of doing it is worth investigation if not emulation. Another effective method of increas ing food supply would be the produc tion of more rye. The wool and mutton industry is laboring under handicaps that are not susceptible of elimination. East of tho Missouri River mutton making is now largely a matter of fattening western-bred stock, and supply of that is diminishing. There is much difference of opinion concerning the feasibility of restoring breeding sheep to corn belt farms and Eastern hill pastures. Theoretically it is the logical sequence of current scarcity and high prices, but u anything .is neglected on the farm it is the small flock of ewes. The American fanner "is proverbially adverse to doing chorus, and that is what attending to the needs of a flock of ewes amounts to. The dairy cow is a serious competitor of the sheep and the ever-present canine menace deters many farmers from even considering sheep. At present the major portion of the wool and mutton produced in the United States originates west of the Missouri River, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Ne vada and New Mexico, being among the chief contributors. It might be expected that present prices would result in rapid increases in flocks, but settlement of the bench lands in the mountain regions has deprived flock owners of their lambing ranges, nec essitating liquidation on an enormous scale during a period of unpreccdent cdly high values. In the plains country running flocks have been seriously hampered by homesteading and neces sity for winter feeding has made re duction of numbers imperative. Every agency has worked for repression, in cluding a market for lambs that has sent to the butcher young ewes that under normal conditions would have been retained to recuperate flocks. Ewes have gone to prohibitive figures recently, and prices constitute serious difficulty in founding farm flocks, breeding stock being higher on the range than at the market. The future of the sheep industry is difficult to forecast. That tho West will not be able to materially increase wool and mutton production during the next half decade, at least, is certain. What will rlpvnlnn onaf nf the XTIodaiivi River is open to conjecture. There are minions oi acres in me eastern and central states by nature adapted fn nViAAn nTirl If wmiW oAam Vof world-wide scarcity, especially of wool, snouid stimulate interest in the inuusiry. xi prouueuon ox wool ana wilftnTi ?a in iWTMinrl mnf Avintltr if ...MVW.. ... .W M1MUIIU ..... ,.wil y J. must be accomplished in that section oi tne country. THE BOOM IN LIVE MUTTONS may be rendered by reporting any lnnfiAC vnlnfivo fn fltn nmiontt rtf nirra ' and the production of forage for live stock to D. A. Gilchrist, Flagstaff, Arizona, who is in charge of such work in Arizona. Colorado lambs sold at $20 tier cwt on the Chicaco market and shorn , lambs at $16.00. At the correspond-r mg time last year siz.zo took thei best lambs on the market, and new. records were then being made. ' The advance has been continuous since early in- Anril and is without precedent. The country is confronted I with a shortage of both wool and mutton of prolonged duration. East of the Missouri river the industry has been all but wiped out in a commer cial sense, and nocks in the range country are steadily dwindling. The ( new iumu ciujj will ue u iiiuuui uue and the smallest in twenty-five years. Highprjces for 1917 lambs are cer tain. Feeders will cost more money than ever before and packers will take stock that formerly went to feeders without competition. A band of ewes , la Jiuw hue uigKcat uiviuuiiu utici uii the farm, provided it is in the hands of a competent man. THOSE FARAWAY STEERS Texas Cattle Late This Year San Antonio, May 23. The cattle men who are caking steers on the grass are a well satisfied lot and will have some fair shipments ready to go by June 1. The pasture men are inclined to the belief that they will be able to get their shipments out in good flesh before the Oklahoma run begins about July 15. Tho season will be later this year than usual on grass cattle on account of the late spring which has prevailed in Texas as well as Oklahoma. The country above the iiuuruiiuiie line in west lexas nas naa no rain of consequence and the weath er has been cold. The cattle out there will not be ready to start before fall and unless the rains start soon the beef will not be ready to move before October. Tonnage is what the 'pack ers need and the bigger and fatter the cattle are the stronger will be the competition. The stocker trade is quiet for the moment, but the pasture men of South Texas will get into the market again shortly if the rains con tinue. $ 75 ' ' rjU. Vl Chicago and Back On the dates named below the Santa Fe will sell excursion tickets to many eastern cities at a reduction of over 25 per cent from the round trip rates ordinarily in effect. These excursion tickets are first class and carry liberal stopover privileges, with a final return limit of 3 months. The dates of sale for these excursions are: May 31, June 1-2-11-12-16-17-26-27-30. Other dates may be announced later. ' ' Call, phone or write. V A New York broker visited Pack- ingtown in Chicago Monday, with an offer to sell a million cattle and half million hogs in Brazil, accessible by the Amazon river. Packers are sketical, as they have investigated several advertised sources of South American cattle supply at consider able expense and no net results. Expectancy of a foreign supply of beef has proved too illusive to war rant consideration. Murdo McKen zie's Brazilian cattle venture, prom ising at the outset, has not fruitioned and it is doubtful if the unexpioited patrons of South America will add much beef to the commercial supply of the world during the next decade. Thousands of Prairie Dogs Being Exterminated Daily in Arizona Carefully conducted tests have re cently proved that from ten to fifteen thousand Prajrie dogs are being killed daily at a cost of about one quarter of a cent each by the field forces cm ployed by the U. S. Biological Survey in Arizona. It is possible that the work of controlling rodent pests in Airzona may be very considerably ex tended owing to the present interna tional situation and the jrreat need for inert asing the production of crops and live stock. The government wish es to aid every farmer and stockmen in the state who is suffering losses from this pest and valuable assistance Boston, May 19. Though the Bos ton market is quieter, there is still considerable activity in South Ameri can wools, with quarter-bloods and below moving quite freely. This is due partly to the running low of stocks of finer grades, but more par ticularly to the announcement that the covernment is readv to accent fabrics containing a percentage of the Luurscr ouiio. uie iiiurttCL is in u very strong position and further advances are predicted. With a large part of the earl; contracts for territory wool already tranferrcd to manufacturers' account, it seems likely that much less wool than usual will come forward to be sold in Boston. Shearing in the west has been ereatlv delaved bv cold and wet weather, and consequently. new territory wools nrn nrrivinc vprv' slowly. Not enough has yet been done to establish prices on the new clip, but it is not expected that any break will occur. Mills are getting big gov ernment orders, one having recently secured contracts aggregating $6,000,- 000. uraustreets. General Blacksmith HORSESHOEING Auto and Wagon Work a Specialty EAST ASPEN AVENUE LOU WESLEY No More Cattle From Meixco San Antonio. Tex.. May 23. A dispatch from Laredo last night quotes a passenger arriving there yesterday from Mexico as stating that the Mexi can Government has 'Ordered an em bargo on exportations of foodstuffs to the United States and other countries. Articles mentioned in the order, said the passenger, include beans, corn, sheep and cattle. Nell Oh, dear, I'm in such a quan dary. Bell What is it? Nell Jack promises to stop drink ing if I marry him and Tom threat ens to begin if I don't. Patriotic Economy means elimination of waste and ex travagance. It also means the con servation of our resources by going ahead with our own business in our own way. We will give you every assistance in , t - intelligent selection of food. Crawford's Why waste your time running around to tell that old table. Classified lines 5c s. ijErtf r u LfS .- -S5 -H2 A lJr3h 33. Vse Smith Form-a-Truck For Hauling In doing the work around your orchard, keeping your general farm work done on time and at a minimum of expense, cut down your horses to the number you actually need and keep these steadily working in your fields. m Hauling with horses is the most expensive method of moving your products to the market. Use Smith Form-a-Truck. Haul twice as much, three times as fast in one trip. Smith Form-a-Truck will keep your men busy doing the work necessary to make your farm and yourorchards pay good profits. One man Is all that is nec essary for your hauling, for you can make four trips to market, if you use Smith Form-a-Truck where you could only make one with horses. Smith Form-a-Truck is placing a real hauling de partment at the disposal of every fruit grower and every farmer, and giving the lowest cost for hauling that has ever been achieved. Use it in your own work. Save time save money save labor charges. Use Any One of Six Chassis Using any one of six chassis, Smith Form-a-Truck combines with any Ford, Maxwell, Dodge Bros., Bulck, Chevrolet or Overland chassis to make a fully guaranteed one-ton track. It gives you real truck construction that will stand up under the hardest hauling you could ever do. When Ypu Are in Town Drop In See Smith Form-a-Tnack. It will pay you well. Jos. J. Waldhaus Garage s ? & I J I 3 T. A. STAHL, Agent , , Phone 13 , - n , ? f . i Phone 213 Flagstaff, Arizona Wt? WHtlVMll