The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1886-09-22
Correspondence
CATTLE ON THE ARM

IA Ia 90 W# A
EDITOR PROGRESSIVE FARMER
The farmers Of North Carolina do
not appreciate the value Of cattle.
AS a general rule they only think of
their value for beef, milk and butter.
These qualities should be taken into
consideration, but all these combined
are not equal to their value as a
"guano mandatory" In England
and the, continent Of Europe, it has
long been recognized that if a farmer
sold his cattle for beef and the price
obtained was equal to the cost of
raising them, he made money-the
manure being profit. All cattle
sold above their beef value gave an
additional profit equal to the differ
ence between their beef value and
the price obtained. The manure Of
cattle being the great profit to the
farmer, the question arises, is the
manure of sufficient quantity and
quality to pay. The quantity OF
manure per COW is much greater
than most farmers have any idea OF,
ranging from IS pounds per day for
large native cattle on good pasture
to IS pounds per day for well-fed
Short-horns (Durham). Large, we'll
fed native cattle average about 20
pounds. Taking the latter we have
one ton per month for each cow-12
tons per year; a small herd, say 20
COWS, giving 240 tons per year. Sup
posing that one-half should be
dropped in pasture, we would have
1870 tons for composing, which,
with the from the horse
stables, sheep sheds and hog pens,
would be ample for the cultivated
land. The quality, "unleached" cat
tie manure has long been recognized
as one of the very best fertilizers.
If left exposed to rain, the plant food
is almost as easily leached out of it
as out of ashes. If the farmer would
make his fields rich instead of the
ground Of his "cattle pen" he must
have stables for his cattle and sheds
for the manure. Horse manure is
less easily leached than cattle
manure, yet no n would think Of
daily throwing horse MANURE yer a
barn yard to be leached by the rain.
The old fashion way of penning cat
tie, hauling leaves and straw to be
"tramped up" is not only cruelty
to cattle but wastefu. The winter
rains leach out the soluable plant
food and it goes into the ground or
is carried by the floods beyond the
farm. The farmer re-hauls his
"tramped up" leaves and straw to
his fields. Viewing his growing
crop he says, "cow manure is not
strong" forgetting that which Ma
ture intended "to make crops grow"
he lost by his own folly. The best
thing for a farm is manure, the next
best thing is more manure. The
best thing for manure is a cattle
barn and for more manure is a
larger cattle barn. Some farmers
owning 10 or 20 head of cattle let
them "run out" all the year. The
manure is virtually lost. They have
no idea what the cattle cost. In
October probably the cattle are in
fair condition and Ire worth $500
per head. The next March they
could hardly be sold for $500 per
head-a loss Of nearly fifty per cent.
m cattle, and that too when they
have eaten up all the cotton seed,
straw, shucks and other provender
on the place. What other business
could stand such a leak. Many
farmers sell COWS 3 or 4 years old
for $500 to $500. SO to 48 months
at so cents per month board-would
a farmer board a cow for his neigh
Dor at that price? If he cannot
board one at that price for a neigh
Dor can he board n for himself?
Cattle barns will relieve our farmers
from paying such vast sums to the
rich fertilizer companies, and, as an
investment, will pay better than
any building on the farm.
NOTES FROM ENDERLY.