The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-09-21
CATTLE.
The Mos Sure an IL Profitable Indus
try In Florida

In the rush for orange groves, how
few persons, in the last few years, have
given thought TO the raising of cattle and
sheep-an industry which has proven
more remunerative in this State than
all others.
The raising of cattle for export is n
business, like other vocations in life, re
quiring constant oversight, but the ra-
pidity with which stock increases and
the few casualties that overtake cattle
in Flol .da, insures to the ranchman a
certain and remunerative profit not
guaranteed to those engaged in other
pursuits. Let y>ur readers put on their
thinking caps and consider if they know
of "A single instance where cattle raising
in this State, even upon small scale,
and with no care to the stock has proven
a failure. From what / can learn, all
those who have gone into the business
have succeeded. Turner, King. Sum
merlin, Henry and "A score of others, all
claim that their big money" came from
their cattle.
In this connection / am glad To see
that +. Ii. Bailey, of Monticello, one of
Middle Florida's most enterprising men,
is now engaged in issuing thousands of
circulars demonstrating the great ad-
vantages of his section of the State for
the cultivation of grasses and the sue
ScSsl III IdiSiHS OI an bfCtu
cattle, sheep and horses.
Mr.. Bailey says: II believe cattle, on
the wire grass range. can be- greatly i'm
prove by crossing with Holstcin. or
Shorthorn. bulls; in which case they
! shoU Il have more special care than If
! left to Craze on the wild range" Stock
| he says, '.can lie fed cheaper in Middle
! Florida than elsewhere in the world and
at about one-tenth the cost OF fee ling
stock NORTH. We can get off "A crop of
| Irish potato %. tomatoes, me ms, oats.
| etc, in May, June and July, and i'm
August cut 'beggar weed Ia spontaneous
! growth and complete stock food, worth
AS shown bT analysis of Prof. Meyers,
of the Mississippi Agricultural College
| SIS per tom at very small cost to en-
| silage. On the same land we can. in
August or September, plant rye, turnips,
etc, and to these add cotton-seed meal
our native product, which IL one of the
| most concentrated and nutritious stock
/ foods in the world. The cost of the
latter IL but nominal, as We use it as
a fertilizer, and Is passage through the
stock adds increased value 10 its fertil.
iZing qualities and renders it "a more
available plant food.
Prof. Stewart, of New York, in las
work on Feeding Animals, places con
| ton-seeI meal at a value of j.. 80 pei
| 100 pounds, as compared To corn meal
at Sl.l2, oats IS cents and good hay 81
cents per 100 pounds.
In his article contributed To the Times
| Union trade edition Mr. Bailey also
adds: I'VE have undoubtedly the great
| est stock country in the Union. With
orr climate, vegetation grows faster
| than anywhere else. After shipping to-
matoes July IL Il cut from 4 acres of the
| same land four tons of splendid hay tu
the acre ON the 18th of August, but could
| only cut about one half, owing to the
/ quantity of old tomato vines. With Il
tremendous yield of hayt,wO cuttings,
/ cotton-seeI and sweet p, -atocS (thc lat
ter at five cents per buShel To raise and
corn as cheap as in any country If raised
with twohorse cultivators, jefferson
county has superior advantages"
Now, what he says of Jefferson Will,
with equal force, apply to all othe: coun-
ties east Of the Suwance river. In
| Alachua, and especially Levy, county
can be found the same quality of lands,
and it is in this latter county where the
wild range is regarded as unusually fine
ana where compact bodies of land can
be secured at very low figures. L. Y. il
! Fernandina Mirror.