Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1901-12-07
INTENSIVE sToCK RAISING.
How Peninsula Farmers Can
Mskc IL Pay.

Prior 20 1851 Eastern Virginia was
quite a stock section. The cultivated
lands we're all fenced In. The stock
was fenced OUT and ran practically at
large. thousands upon thousands OF
head living on the natural pasturage
the winter through without any food
from the hand OF man At the close OF
the war In 1865. every fence was down
and all the stock had disappeared. The
condition OF the land owners was such
that they found IL impossible to re
sumo business at the Old stands" The
slave" was free. and the laJor cOndi-
tions were all upset. The people In
the vicinity OF this seaport went en-
tirely into trucking and market gard
ening. as that industry offered them
quick returns and large profits. Stock
raising was too slow and il was too
long 20 wait for returns" SO every
body went TO gardening. and stock and
hay were left out entirely.
Now the people are brought face 10
face with the fact that this section
cannot affard 20 buy from the West-and
Northwest the great supplies OF hay
oats, corn. butter. cheese. lard pork
beef and other products OF the soil
The profits on the trucking business do
not Justify our people in buying al
least s. 5.OOO.OO0 worth of soil products
from the West while thousands of acres
OF good hay and corn lands are lying
idle within 100 miles or Jnis section
We must here engage in what is
termed intensive stock raising We
need not fence up all creation In order
10 do this. With a limited area for
q II ell
our farmers can engage in more prOn-
table stock raising than the Western
farmer can.
Our farmers can buy stock sheep al
certain seasons OF the year at SIPS 70
$1.5O per head. Sometimes they can
he had at 81 per head. Suppose 100
head be purchased. The pureh-
aser is supposed TO own a good busk
OF some fine mutton breed. Let him
select, say thirty, OF the youngest and
thrlftiest ewes out of the Cock. and ar
range il so the lambs will be dropped
in January. In April he shears his
flock and sells his wool. From pril
18th 10 May 18th he sells his lambs
and then a little later on he sells the
old sheep for mutton, clearing out the
entire lot in less than one year, and
making over and above all expenses
between 200 and 800 per cent on the
venture, saying nothing OF the beneal
TO the land.
Or our farmers can buy stock cattle
at the stock yards (cattle too thin &C
MID. take them to the farm and feed
them from the siiO. with grazing
enough for exercise and health ard al
most, IL not quite. double their money
lt is not necessary 20 fence in all ere
alton In order 10 raise stock Rails,
them on the intensive rather than Ia,
extensive plan. Keep them up closer
save all the manure; use the silo. ans
conduct the work in a business way.
II a man wishes to raise milk stock
let him keep a few good COWS and hu,
good calves from the best mixers II
our dairies. With the sweet milk from
four good cows a man can raise ten Il
twelve good calves and rapidly grow
into good herd of milk CO.'S. worth
all the way from $40 to $50 each
Dry stock can run here. In mos
places. all winter without being fed b,
man. But IL Is best to feed little dur
t..g the winter storms TO keep the stool
up 20 full coalition Read our siio ar
ticle in another column and our read
era will see that IL Ia practicable TO 81
into stock raising here on the INTEN
sIyE plan.