The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-19
BEEF FROM SOUTHERN FIELDS.
No Reason why the South Should
Not Rival the West.

Not Rival the West.
Why should not the raising and prepar-
alton of cattle for market be a great IN
dustry of South Georgia and Florida? This
question was asked the agent of one of
the large western packing houses in Sa-
vannah. 1t was brought out by the state
ment of the agent that the use of cotton
seed meal for preparing cattle for the mar
ket, is increasing every day and that cotton
seed meal is now regarded as one of the
most important factors in their business
by the western beef packers.
AS a great many people are aware the
cattle which furnish the beef which is
shipped by refrigerator cars to all por-
tons of the country are not slaughtered
Immediately upon being brought from
the fields to the packing houses. The
western packers learned long ago that
this was not the way to secure beef which
would command a market anywhere. Stall
feeding is now the general rule. The cattle
when brought in off the range are gener-
ally lean and lank. They are penned up
in stalls and fed for several weeks until
their quarters assume that rounded APP
pearance which is so pleasing to the eye
of the lover of good things when he looks
over the daily display in the Savannah
market.
The difference between a lon of western
beef and one from home raised steer is
apparent at once to the most inexperienced
eye. One is well rounded, thick and firm,
with layers of fat. The other is as
rule, smaller, thinner, with less fat. and
likely to have a stringy appearance. When
placed upon the table the difference be-
tween the two varieties of beef is likely
to be even more apparent. The difference
is that one has been carefully prepared
for the market while the other has been
picked up from the pasture, probably on
the very day it was slaughtered.
There has been a general suppoSitlon
that the vast difference in the quality of
the two kinds of beef was due to a differ
ence in the cattle and many people are
of the opinion that good market cattle
cannot be raised in this section. Why
Georgia should not raise as good cattle as
Texas or Montana it Is difficult to con-
ceive. If anything should produce tough
ness wandering frozen and half starved
over bleak prairies as the western cattle
do during half the year should make them
tough.
On the other hand, experienced butchers
know that the native cattle when taken
and properly treated produce a more ten
der and more succulent article than that
from the west. The meat Is of a. finer
grain, while the western beef as rule is
coarse grained. The trouble is that this
Is not done on even a small scale, except
by individual butchers, and there being
no supply the butchers, who desire to fur
nish the best meats, are compelled TO de-
pend entirely upon the western packing
houses for their supply.
The different manner in which the ma
tive cattle were prepared for market
caused a prejudice against this class of
beef and when the well prepared western
beef begun to enter the market its SUI
periority was at once recognized. The re-
suit is that Savannah, and almost all
other southern cities, depend for their sup
ply of beef upon the west. The native
cattle have been driven from the market.
Ten TO fifteen years ago the buying of cat
tie in the country and driving them to
Savannah for slaughter was considerable
business and the larger part of Savan-
nah's beef supply was secured in this way.
To-day the native cattle furnish only an
Insignificant portion Of the supply.
Cotton seed meal is the most important
article now with the packers In fattening
cattle for market" said the beef man.
1T costs less than grain, fattens quicker,
and produces a tuicier article Of beef The
cattle are usually fattened now on cotton
seed meal and then fed for two or three
days on grain 70 harden the beef. AL
though corn IL very cheap In the west
now, cotton seed meal is used in large
quantities"
That being the case, why should not
the fattening OF cattle for market become
an important business in the south and a
stockyard be attached 70 every cotton
seed oil MILF"
There is no reason why this should not
be the case" was the reply "and In time
il will be the case. Stockmen in the west
are turning their attention to the south.
The south, in my opinion, IS the coming
stock raising section Of the country. Cat
tie can run In the fields all the year round
with no danger OF freezing TO death, and
with fairly good pasturage In winter The
best material IN the world for fattening.
cotton seed meal. IS to be had In any guam
tty. The grain 10 finish up the process
can also be raised here. but even n neces-
sary TO import It from the west, the cost
would be only slightly increased, the price