===============+=======+=========+=========+=========+======= | | | | |Shrink- | | | | Shrink- | age, | | Green | Cured | age, | per Kind | Number| weight | weight | lbs. | cent ---------------+-------+---------+---------+---------+------- Free of brands | 34,192|2,692,615|2,262,426| 430,189| 15.98 Butt brands | 14,279|1,174,093| 977,943| 196,150| 16.71 Side brands | 17,302|1,451,850|1,198,925| 252,925| 17.42 Spreadies | 3,969| 363,233| 307,410| 55,823| 15.37 Native bulls | 1,362| 127,910| 103,263| 24,627| 19.27 Branded bulls | 252| 25,885| 21,761| 4,124| 15.93 H’y native cows| 8,222| 576,313| 472,938| 103,375| 17.94 Texas | 5,247| 395,620| 324,100| 71,520| 18.08 L’t native cows| 14,895| 841,481| 709,181| 132,300| 15.72 Branded cows | 11,034| 694,503| 574,669| 119,834| 17.25 ---------------+-------+---------+---------+---------+------- Totals |110,754|8,343,503|6,952,616|1,390,867| 16.67 ---------------+-------+---------+---------+---------+------- A total of 110,754 of these hides were cured in house _No. 2_. This was on the first floor of the building and no refrigeration was used in any of the departments. There were several openings into this room, permitting the outside air to circulate through the building and a great deal of moisture naturally absorbed. It will be noted by comparing the reports that the shrinkage in this cellar was 16.67 per cent from the green weight to the shipping weight, showing an excess of 1.83 per cent, which would show a loss of 154,686 pounds. This, at an average of 10c per pound, would indicate a loss of $15,468.60 sustained by having this number of hides in this particular cellar, as against what would have been realized had they shown no more shrinkage than those in house _No. 1_, so that it will readily be seen that it is of vital importance to the owner to see that the hides are stored in suitable storage, that there is as little circulation as possible of outside air through this department, and that all doors and openings are kept closed as much as possible. This is paramount, in case hides are sold, seller’s weights, at works. On long shipments involving many transfers and exposures, the matter is not of such consequence. =Grading.=--This is a question which must be governed largely by the local conditions. Many small killers find it profitable to sell their hides without selections, rather than to try to make the different selections with a comparatively limited number to select from, whereas, where cattle are killed in large numbers it is advisable to make just as many selections as is profitable, being governed, of course, at all times by the market quotations and demands. The usual grades of hides are termed as follows: