The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-27

a result. This cultivation purifes the top
soil and removes all of the filthy condition
! usual to the old feed lot The corn Is
1 harvested in the fall and removed from
the lot, and the new bunch of feeding
steers comes into the feed lot on fresh
ground.
In addition to the feeding ranches or
| fattening stations described, this enter
prise has two large growing and grazing
ranches where young steers are placed to
/ be grown ready for full feed at later
date The age at which Mr. Hord pre-
| fers cattle to go into the yards on full feed
! is three years. He says he prefers the
steers to be practically through the grow
/ ing stage ready to take on flesh and fat
| rapidly. At this age he encounters but
/ little trouble in making satisfactory gains,
even with the classes of cattle that are
usually Disseminated against by feeders
! because they are not high grades of beef
| breeds. The margin between the high
| grade feeding steers and those less favor
/ bly, bred Is so much greater than exists
/ when the two animals come together in
! fat market that the palmer steer, properly
bought, offers good profit for the feed
/ yard.
Summer feeding, or feeding on grass. is
not so extensively carried on at the Hord
feeding stations as the winter feeding
| there being only an average of about 1000
head summer fed. These steers receive
| soaked corn ration, of one-third of bush
| 81 to the head per day
What Food Is Given.
The method of feeding or system usually
i employed by Mr. Hord is to commence in
/ the fall, when cattle are first put in the
! feed lots, by giving snapped corn and
| crushed snapped corn. From this they are
gradually brought on TO fun feed of
shelled corn. which is the main grain ra-
ton used in the fattening process. Mill
! feeds, bran and shorts are used to consid
cradle extent as variety.
The handling of 10000 hogs in feed lots,
following cattle is an undertaking that
requires nerve in these times of hog cho-
era and swine plague The swine man
agemeut is in accordance with tire general
trend of care and sanitary precaution that
/ characterizes the feeding operations
| throughout. Hogs are intended in the
main part 10 subsist on the waste from
the cattle, but in addition to this they
receive a daily allowance of Stops made
| from mill feed. They also are supplied
| with a corrective or digest composed of
! a mixture in the following proportion:
! one bushel slack coal, ten pounds salt,
two pounds sulphur, and one pound salt
/ peter. This is placed in a hog trough
where it is accessible at all times. In
case an invasion of hog cholera occurs in
| any of the herds, the best available treat
ment is used, and by diligent treatment
and good sanitary measures employed the
| disease is arrested without alarming ia
/ tally.
But few of this immense herd of hogs
are raised on the ranch. They are bought
| in large droVes, usually coming from dis
tricts and states West, where the corn
crop is not sufficient to mature them into
| the finished pork products
| The value of the hog to the cattle feed
ing industry is variously estimated as a
factor in the profit. Three dollars per
head on the steers fed is a conservative
! figure to be added by the use of the hog
as a helper.
How sheep Arc Cared For.
The sheep-feeding division is separate
and apart from the hogs and cattle, and
| constitutes an industry of itself The
sheep-feeding ranch comprises about for
ty acres and is laid off in blocks of lots
| or yards. with streets and alleys to ac-
commodate the handling of the various
| punches of sheep, and to admit of easy
access to the yards with team for distri-
button of feed and cleaning pens when
desired.
In addition to the feed lot or yard.
where the sheep are kept and receive their
hay and rough feeds, each block of four
pens has a separate feed lot located in
the center of the block; this lot con-
tains no furnishings but feed troughs,
which are sufficient to hold feed for all
block. Opening into this from each of
the adjoining yards is a wide gate, which
Is thrown open to admit a pen of sheep
when the feed is in the troughs. This plan
ohviates all annoyance in placing the feed
and gives the sheep an equal chance in
getting 10 troughs first which is the am
bition among sheep as well as among
some other kinds Of animals.
The sheep are usually brought from
New Mexico. Arizona, Wyoming. Idaho.
Montana and oregon. The amount of corn
per 100 head per day consumed varies from
three to five bushels depending somewhat
upon the size of the sheep and the con-
dition of the weather. They are given all
they will sat UP clean as soon as they
are brought on to full feed. The sheep
are usually fed out and shipped before
the shearing season. Lambs require lit
tie different feed and craze than older
sheep,
An especially Interesting feature in this
enterprise is the amount of feed con-
sumed and the local market it creates for
corn and hay. The hay consumed last
year was 1000 tons. and the corn 200 COZ
bushels OF this amount 75000 bushes of
corn and 5000 tons of hay were raised ca
the feeding ranches The amount of corn
consumed per day during the feeding sea
son ranges from 5000 to 1000 bushels, de-
pending upon the amount of stock in the
yards. The commercial value of this
business TO the farming districts in the
localities where these feeding stations
are, can be more fully appreciated when
we say that there was nearly $500 coo paid
out by this firm last year for farm pro
ducts TO be converted into beef, pork and
mutton.
An established principle in the manage
ment of these feeding opera tons is not to
ship until the animals are ready to go,
that is, half fat or warmed-up stock never
leaves the Hord feed yards ShiDments
are made by the train load, and 60 at
all seasons, depending upon the mature or
ripe conditions of the animals more than
markets.
Profit sharing.
Mr. Hord has introduced the profit
sharing system into the management of
his feeding operations, whereby employees
1 occupying responsible positions are given
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