The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-10-30
No37

The answer is clear. He must have
something to sell all along through
the year. Diversity then becomes a
necessity.
There are many lines Of diversity
fruit growing, melon growing,
hay-growing, manufacturing, and
many other lines of labor are open.
We desire to call attention to one
special line that offers relief to very
many.
There is a constantly increasing
demand for cattle. The hungry
world cries beef, beef-give me beef,
more and better beef Responding
to this cry the farmers of the great
Northwest are growing rich-somay
we-they have no exceptional ad-
vantages. We can grow grass as
we'll as they; we can grow cotton
seed meal and hulls, the best of feeds,
which they cannot grow. Herein
we have great advantage over them.
Feed is the main expense. Hence,
having the cheaper feed, we can
grow the cheaper cattle. Our climate
/ helps US also. The consumer cares
not whether his beef grows North or
! South. The quality Of his steak or
roast is what he does care for. If
the quality is good it matters not
with him whether the beef grew in
Montana or Georgia; whether it was
| slaughtered in Kansas City or At
lanta. But many say we cannot
! grow as fine beef as the Northwest
and the clover and blue grass regions.
Is this true? It is not-we can if we
will.
Two things determine the quality
of the beef. These two are the breed
and the feed. We can get as good
! breeds as any, but we cannot make
shOrthorn beef out Of longhorn cat
tie. It costs no more to feed a short
horn than a scrub, but the differ
ence in growth, weight and quality
is everything. This has been con-
clusively demonstrated in Atlanta
by Mr.. T. R. Sawtell. He has a herd
of shOrthOrns less than three years
old that weigh from 1900 to 1000
pounds each. Right beside them he
has Georgia scrubs, fed the same,
that weigh from 500 to 800 pounds
There is as much difference in the
quality as in the weight The short
horns are worth on the Atlanta mar
ket today six cents per pound, gross.
From 800 to $12O each. The Georgia
scrubs are worth 81 to 4 cents per
pound, gross upon the same market,
that is from $3.50 to $35 each Thus
you see there is a difference Of from
$72. SO to $88 per head in favor of the
shorthOrns. In herd of 100 steers
this is So, 900 difference in the value,
or about S., 900 difference in the clear
profit. This particular herd of short
horns was not grown in Georgia, but
| they might have been. Mr.. Sawten
sold a Georgia bred steer less than
! three years old for $97. so a few weeks
since. This strain or breed of cattle
do just as we'll in the South as in the
/ Northwest These cattle grew in
/ Tennessee.
The point is this, we need to get
better breeds for beef cattle. We
can do it. Mr.. Sawtell has given
great study to this question and is
so thoroughly convinced that he pro
poses to offer, this fall, about five
carloads of young males at cost to
the farmers of the South. He would
have preferred to pay out the $16, 200
on a recent purchase in Georgia, or
Carolina, or Alabama than to have
paid it out in Tennessee and Ken
lucky. If you doubt this try him.
Offer the cattle and you will see
whether he will buy.
THE FEED QUESTION.
What does he feed upon? Cotton
seed meal and hulls. He has been
feeding these steers upon this feed
since October last, and will continue
to feed them until November next
They will cost him about $50 to $35
each to feed one year and bring him
a net profit of about $50 each. He
is making this experiment to con-
vince Southern farmers that they
can grow and feed fine beef cattle as
successfully and proftably as any
body else. He wishes to create a
home supply of fine cattle To do
this he must have the active CO.
operation of the farmers. The cost
of shipping when you have only one