The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-02
COULD BE A PAYING BUSINESS.
CATTLE GROWERS SHOULD M
PROVE THEIR STOCK.

the Breed and Feed and Care for
the stock the Secrets of Success.
Thousands of Dollars Now Going
cut of Georgia for Beef, Butter,
Mutton and Canned Goods That
should De Kept at Home, Mr.. Egan
says. so
The discussion of the su bject of cattle
raising as a profitable nd1st try for South
| Georgia is of interest to hundreds Of
readers of the Morning News and 10 none
more so than the railroad mon who look
a this matter from a practical stand
point. Il could hardly be said hat cattle
raising Is a new industry for South Geor-
gia 1t has been carried on ever since the
first settlers arrived here. II has 3een an
especially profitable industry, however, for
a good many years and this is the basis
upon which it is desired 10 place the hu 81
ness.
Vice President John N. Egan of thai
! Central of Georgia Railway Company, is
a man who goes straight to the point
when he has anything to say and his
views upon any subject upon which he
speaks are always of interest. Mr.. Eg1n
was asked yesterday if he had given any
consideration to the possibilities of cattle
raising in Georgia and if so what opinion
| had he formed up the subject.
y have given the matter considerable
attention" said Mr.. Egan, land am de-
! cidedly Of the opinion that cattle raising
/ can be made profitable in this section if
| inteiligently conducted. The first idea that
! would occur 10 an intelligent man who
| had decided to embark in this business
/ mn. h., I'll ,.fa ha9
, ter grade Of cattle. 1t is useless to think
/ Of making a success of the business with
/ the present low grade stock, which has
! been neguected and underfed for so many
! years that II is now practically past re-
demption. The average Texas yearling is
| as large as TIE average 3-year-old grown
in this part of Georgia. Having improved
! the breed, the next thing to do is TO see
that the stock is well fed and well cared
| for. You can't expect 10 raise good cat
! tie by turning them loose to shift for
| themselves winter and summer through
| heat and through cold like the razor
i back hogs The best of stock will dete-
riOrate and that very rapidly under such
! treatment as that.
Il know that the very best cattle can be
| raised in Georgia." continued Mr.. Egan,
| because I have seen them. At the state
| experiment farm, near Griffin, they have
magnificent cattle, bred and grown there
| and what has been done at the experiment
| station can be done almost anywhere in
| Georgia. The lands of Georgia are well
/ suited 60 the growing of food crops for
| cattle, both root and forage, and as the
main secret is in caring for and feeding
| the cattle there is no reason why inteli-
| gent growers should not make an entire
| success of the business. One thing which
| seems to be entirely overlooked by the
! cattle-growers in this section is that cat
| tie require protection from the weather.
| Sheds and barns must be provided, where
| the cattle can be shielded from the cold
winds and rains of winter. Not only dry
! food must be fed, but cooked food, as well
in order to obtain the best results"
! THE trouble with the average Georgia
| farmer" said Mr.. Egan, lis that when
! you urge upon him to undertake anything
/ new he thinks that you mean that he
! must drop everything else and devote all
| his attention to the new crop or whatever
! it is. He has been planting cotton ana
| corn all his life, and if he gives these
| crops up he doesn't know how TO go about
| anything else. Now. this is the wrong
| iGea. Let the farmers go ahead planting
| cotton and corn and other crops to which
! they are accustomed. but let them gradu-
| ally introduce new ventures which can be
! developed into sources of profit. The cat
| tie industry is one of these. Let them i'm
! prove the breed OF their cattle, take better
care of them and give more attention to
their feeding and the business will nat
uraly develop itself"
1T has always been a mystery to me-"
said Mr. Egan. why the people of Geor-
! gia allow so much money 10 be sent away
| from home for things which they
could produce themselves at a prof
il. Thousands of dollars are
! sent out of the state annually for
| dairy products, every dolar of which
should be kept at home. The farmers
| would find more money in dairy farming
| than in raising cotton. G aorgia spends
/ thousands Of dollars every year for canned
! fruits and vegetables, when on the con-
| trary, she should not only make practical
| ly all her own canned goods, but should
| receive a large revenue for goods shipped
! abroad. Georgia can equal any portion of
the United States in the production of
| fruit. Take the single item OF figs, a crop
| which is peculiar to this section The fin
| est varieties of figs can be raised in South
| ern Georgia and yet even the home mar
| ket is not supplied with them. There is
| big Held III preserving and otherwise pre-
! pairing these figs for market. Dried and
| candied figs are for sale on every railroad
! train in the country, and purchs sers read
/ lily pay from 10 cents apiece for them
Mr.. Egan seemed to feel really yexed
| that the people of Georgia do not take
more advantage of their many opportuni-
| ties.
Take wool growing" said he "a LARGO
| portion of Georgia is especially wen fitted
| for the raising of sheep The industry is
| already carried on on a small scale and a
! good quality of wool and a very good arti-
Gle oil mutton IS produced, In fact the
| grade of the sheep of South Georgia is far
| superior to The grade of the cattle ana
I hogs. This industry should be developed
! to a much greater extent. The towns ana
| cities should be supplied with homegrown
! mutton. and a profitable market could no
| doubt, be found for il elsewhere With
| further Improvement in the grade of the
! sheep both wool and mutton Of a ,,ar,,