The Louisiana Democrat., 1889-04-17
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL.
Stock-Raising in Tennessee.

Stock-Raising in Tennessee.
In selecting stock, it would pay best
to purchase fine -blooded strains. The
Shorthorn will yield 500 pounds or
more of beef, with no more food, and |
all other blooded stock will average
in gain in this proportion over COM
mon stock. A liberal supply of
grasses should be sown. In this To-
cality clover, herds grass and orchard
grass should be sown; mixed timothy
might be added on some of the richest
lands. Rye, barley and winter oats
should be sown early in the fall, for
winter and spring grazing; rye would
suit this locality best Stock peas is
profitable crop for stock, and
would suit the condition of the soil
in this locality for a starter. Sweet
potatoes are very profitable crop to
feed to all kinds OF stock, more espe-
cially young stock. This potato seems
to fill all the demands of nature, and
pushes the animals growth faster than
any other food. Two bushels of pota-
toes are equal to one of corn for young
stock, and three bushels are equal to
one of corn in fattening stock for mar
ket. If $50 bushels of sweet potatoes
are raised on an acre, that would equal
fifty bushels of corn per acre in fatten-
ing stock. But this potato is poor
keeper, and should be fed in the fall
and early part of the winter. Fifteen
pounds of cotton seed is equal to 100
pounds of shelled corn in feeding cattle
for market. Thirty-three pounds of
cotton-seed meal is equal to 100 pounds
of shellel corn in feeding stock. Cot
ton seed or its meal should be fed with
corn meal, bran or corn. The rough
food to be used in winter may be
clover hay or sorghum, sown thickly in
rows and cultivated. Before frost cut
and shock. This is favorite food for
all stock. Corn treated the same way
makes good food, as does also the old
shock fodder. With millet and John
son grass there can be no scarcity of
rough food if the proper effort is made
to secure good supply.
Corn is necessary factor in raising
and feeding stock to maturity, but by
the use of sweet potatoes, cotton seed,
stock peas, ETC., the quantity Of corn
can be reduced over one-half. This
will make large reduction in the cost
of raising stock. Tennessee is a corn
producing State; she can't be exceled,
in quantity and quality. on her soil
that has not been abused. She can
also produce all the other crops named
that will make stock-raising one of the
greatest industries of the State. The
supplies to run this enterprise are
home productions.
When stock is turned on young rye
or grass, they need some stronger
food-bran, corn or meal. | have
found by experience that it pays best
to continue feeding all they will eat
when on pasture. No kind of stock
should be allowed to shrink pound
| after their birth. Lambs should av-
erage 10 pounds by the first Of
June, and sell for 6 or cents per
| pound at the nearest railroad station,
where a carload or more could be Sc
cured. These lambs would reach the
| Northern markets when the farmers
of that section had none for sale.
The climate gives this State that ad-
vantage. With good mutton stock
and liberal feeding of bran, corn-meal
and cotton-seed meal, fed night and
morning TO the lambs and ewes, with
rye and grass for pastures, this weight
is easily obtained. They will eat but
little of this food, but that little gives
their growth a wonderful push. The
climate of Tennessee and the great
variety of excellent cheap food her sol!
will produce for stock is a niiee of
wealth to every farmer in the State
The Yankee will never be able to in
vent device that will change this
advantage. Stephen Collins, in Clarks-
Vile (Tenn. Tobacco Leaf