The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-04-19
Thoughts on Stock Raising in Georgia.
BY HON r. T. NEsBITT, COMMISSIONER
OF AGRICULTURE.
Trom the Soutie,7, Cultivat5i'


At this season of the year I pass on
the railroad car after car filled with
mules and horses shipped here for sale,
and as each day I see the drovea pass my
Office window, the thoughts in my mind
become an earnest wish that every far
mer could realize the tremendous drain
on our resources caused by this yearly
buying of stock, and that some plan could
be practically formed for keeping at
home the immense sums which are paid
out for this one item. N Atlanta alone
are sold each year about 10000. head,
representing about s65O,O0O. Can we
not keep at home part at least of this
large waste7 1t does seem that if the
stock raisers of the west can, with all the
attendant risk, breed and raise this mum.
Der of mules and horses, then pay the
expenses of shipping, and still realize a
handsome profit, we, with comparatively
nominal railroad expenses and every ad-
vantage of climate and situation, could
make such an Investment pay we'll, added
to which stock raised here, being accli-
mated, would be fat less liable to sick.
hess than those brought from higher
latitude.
Even where it is not desirable to enter
into this as a regular business, there is
scarcely farmer owning land who could
not by proper management arrange to
raise colt or two, and this once accom-
plished, he would be astonished at the
ease with which it has been done and the
small outlay 1t has coat him.
1 have now q valuable three-year old,
the raising of which has cost me scarcely
a dollar. Indeed, were to begin to cal.
culate how much she has cost, I would
say, nothing, except the attention, be-
cause her food was raised on the farm
and would have been consumed there; in
palmer words, she represents what would
otherwise have been wasted.
Understand, do not at present urge
the raising of stock on large scale, ex:
cept whore necessary preparations have
been made, because where one goes into
this as regular business there are sew
eral requisites which are absolutely
necessary to success, and if these, or even
one OF two of these are lacking, failure is
almost certain to follow.
I was recently talking with gentle
man who was we'll posted and who had
been an enthusiast Oh this sub bject. He
owned large tract of land, i've thousand
acres, in one of the best portions of this
State, large part of it il 6pe Bermuda
pastures. He bought sixty mares, hired
the necessary labor for their attention,
and fitted up his place with all the ap-
pointments for first class stock farm.
But be forgot one thing, that the class of
labor which can plod along in the corn
and cotton fields 10 not, unless under the
most careful and watchful direction,
capable of attending 70 the duties of
stock farm. The negro is often cruel to
and careless of his own mule or horse,
and when trusted with those belonging
to others is, with honorable exceptions,
notoriously brutal. In this case the
owner lost jack, for which he had paid
$1,000 shot by the negro foreman, who
honestly thought he was doing his en-
ployer valuable service in thus saving
mare worth S1OO.
Other losses equally unfortunate and
equally unnecessary convinced our friend
that it would not pay to run stock farm
with labor entirely ignorant of the re-
quirements of the work, but that every
department must be carefully watched
and directed by an intelligent head. So
persuaded is he, however, that when
properly managed this work is bound to
pay good returns, that, after an interval
of several years, he has resolved to make
another effort, and in this venture, being
armed with the experience which he
lacked in the first, his chances of success
are greater. If he can succeed in inter-
esting and converting to his views some
of the large stockmen of the North, /
don't doubt they will build up paying
business.
But suppose we do not care to embark
in this business on large scale, but
would like to raise one or two colts each
year, or every two or three years, to re-
place such stock as may be lost or become
unfit for full work. How are we to
manage it? Good jacks are expensive,
and not one farmer in thousand can
afford to keep one. In the South they
are also rare and their services high.
Why cannot several farmers combine
and purchase JackI bis services TO
outsiders would help pay for him, and
the cost to each individual farmer would
! be thus 30 far lessened that lie could
afford the expense. But even in such
cases where We attempt to raise stock for
the demands of our own business alone,
the utmost precaulion is necessary, and
to trust valuable animals to the care of
irresponsible parties is to invite failure.
The owner must either resolve to see to
every detail himself or place the care of
his stock in the hand of competent per-
Sons. Last winter friend of mine, dur
ing his enforced absence from home, lost
q valuable mare with foal through the
carslessness of the ignorant attendant,
who, when the animal was found dead in
her stall, admitted that he had noticed
that something was wrong with her when
she returned from the pasture the even
ing before, but did not think it worth
mentioning.
A gentleman recently told me of his
misfortune in having three mares lose