LIVE. STOCK. A term used to designate the animals usually, kept on the farm; of these, cattle and horses are first in importance, then swine, mules, and sheep follow in respect to money value. The tables given will show the number of horses, mules, cows, other cattle, sheep, and swine in the United States, the average price, the value of each class and the total value as taken from the government statistics: In the raising and preparing and transportation of live stock for market, and fitting it for the consumer, the following may be held as a fair exhibit of the real status of the business, from a business stand point, outside of the direct inter ests of the several persons and firms interested: Raising cattle is a copartnership business. The grower has one share, and the other must go to those who take the bullock off his hands, carry him to market, and slaughter and sell him. The largest item of expense is the transportation, as will be shown. While en route to market he is generally the property of the drover, who has purchased him from the grower, and who is the second factor in this trade. The drover looks after him while on the road, and sells him the first opportunity, provided he can make a fair profit. If no such opportunity occurs the bullock goes on to the seaboard, where he must leave the car and go into a yard. He has already had this experience, and had the cost charged to his account two or three times. This yarding costs forty cents a head. If the cattle are not sold immediately, and must remain over night, feed must be bought at a high price. The next operator who appears on the ground to make his profit and livelihood out of the cattle is the wholesale butcher, who purchases at the yards and either slaughters there or transports the animal by barge at an additional cost of forty cents to his own slaughtering establishment, from whence the quarters of beef,,if designed for domestic consumption, are sent to the city market, to be sold by a commission merchant at five per cent. commission. The retail dealer then carries them to his stall or shop, where they are cut up and sold by the piece to the consumer. So the grower has one share of the bullock for his part, and the consumer pays for that and the other share which is divided among the others. It is a close business; the drovers not averaging over one dollar per head for their net profits, and the wholesale butchers realizing from two to three dollars as their share of gain, with a heavy expense to come out of it, viz: The use of a large capital, buildings and appliances, and the Cost of killing. The seller gets five per cent. with all risk of debts, etc., and the retailer cuts his meat and figures to sell at ten per cent. in crease on the cost. It costs now in New York forty dollars to transport a hundred cattle from the railroad termini to the private slaughter houses, as they all have to go by barges on the water; whereas they were formerly driven across the city on foot at an, expenSe not exceeding two dollars. This is required by local law. There is
but little probability of reducing the various ex penses connected with the trade in fresh meat, unless it be possible to get rid of the speculative drover, whose fitful profits really average but little. He seems, after all, to be a necessity, as breeders are not used to the transit, dislike its risks, and will probably continue to sell to the drovers rather than to send forward their stock on their own account. Many cattle are sold by brokers at the yards, who charge a commission on their sales. This is an extra tax on the beeves, which the consumer pays. Cattle sent to Europe are purchased at the yards by the shippers, who se lect and slaughter the* stock on the ground, and thus avoid some of tlfe extra expenses which fol low stock which are designed for home con sumption. The wholesale butcher, in order to make his profit of two or three dollars per head, turns every part of the animal to account. Every thing possible is saved and sold for cash. The retail dealer must cut his profit out of one third of the beef. If the balance can be made to bring cost he is satisfied. When the carcase costs nine cents a pound he must sell one-third in roasts and steaks at an average of eighteen cents per pound. One-fourth of a sheep can be cut into chops, which must be sold at eighteen cents and the legs of the hind quarters for fifteentents, to make an advance of ten per cent. on the cost at eight cents per pound by the carcase, as the balance of the sheep will not sell for more than five cents per pound. The profits of dealers on a beef weighing six and one-half hundred pounds would be less than six dollars, and on a sheep weighing fifty pounds the advance would be but forty cents. These figures, of course, will vary, according to location, nearness to market, etc., but they will approximate nearly enough all practical purposes. In fact, experience as a rule is simply the basis for calculation.—The following table shows the estimated number, average price, and value of oxen and other cattle, sheep and hogs, from government statistic?: _ The total number of the various live stock of the United States in 1879, the average price and the total valuation is as follows: Or again, the total number of live stock in the United States may be stated, in round numbers, at about 100,000,000, worth $1,500,000,000, an immense aggregate amount considering the low average value, the great bulk being produced at far distant points from the place of consumption. For other matter in relation to stock, see articles Cattle, Horses, Sheep, Swine, Poultry, etc. For bit* see articles under the several names of the various kinds noticed. (See Supplement.)