The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1902-07-23
MEET THE HIGH PRICE OF MEAT.
How Farmers Can Make Money Out OF
Cattle. The Best Food Right at Home.

What makes the price of beef so
high? The price of anything is high
either because the demand outstrips
the supply, or because of some combl-
nation Of dealers to artificially raise
the price.
But whether q price is naturally or
CRITICALLY high, the remedy is the
same-greater production on an inde-
pendent basis. Fortunately for con-
suners of beef, and fortunately for the
southern farmer, there is no trust or
combination that can prevent most
lavish production of beef, II only the
way is pointed out.
The breeding Of cattle on farm, at
least in an unsystematic manner, is
natural and almost spontaneous. But
in the absence Of some systematic way
TO follow up the subject. and select the
proper animals, and care for them
through the winter, and finally prepare
them to make fat, tender beef, there
is no proper beef production on the
farm The farmer in the cotton region
is surrounded with all the elements to
make beef raising successful. Inc
climate is such that there is natural
forage most of the year. 1t requires
just little forethought to provide for
the few winter months. The mate
rial-cheap naterial-is always at
hand, cotton seed meal and cotton seed
hulis. The meal and hulls are offered
just as you want them by the Southern
Cotton Oil company, Of the Carollnas
and Georgia, and may be bought at
any of the local mills or from head
quarters at Columbia, S. c., Atlanta,
Ca, Savannah, Ca, or Charlotte,
n. c.. Mixed in the proper proportion,
this makes the most nutritious and ac-
&c lob IF
is a feed, which by varying the proper
tions will answer equally we'll for a
sustaining ration or for a fattening
ration. 1t contains all the ingredients
of nutrition, namely, fat, nitrogen and
carbohydrates. The cotton seed meal
contains fat and nitrogen and the hull
contains carbohydrates.
good sustaining ration is made up
Of a pounds of hulls and 4 pounds Of
meal per day, and a good fattening
ration is 90 pounds of hulls and 5
pounds Of meal. These proportions in
both cases must be varied to suit in
dividual cases, according to the con-
dition and taste Of the animal. In
fattening cattle, the ration should be-
gin with more hulls and less meal and
the proportion of meal gradually in
creased. A steer may be fattened ana
put in good condition for the market
on 400 pounds Of cotton seed meal and
one ton Of hulls. At average prices,
the cost of this feed in the southern
States would be about 5000.
There is great profit in fattening
beef fer the market, even at ordinary
prices but at present the industry
should prove unusually attractive. The
following estimate Of the profit that
can easily be made in this business is
taken from a book which has been
carefully prepared on this subject,
Cotton and Cotton OIL" by D A.
Tompkins.
AVERAGE PROFIT IN FATTENING
A STEER ON COTTON SEED
PRODUCTS.
Cost of steer, 100 lbs, at 2 1-2c. $25 90
Cost of hulls, 1000 lbs at s4.O0
cost @ of meal, 400 lbs, at $1,000
per ton. w
Cost of attendance and sundries.. 90
Total cost of fattened animal. $39 90
Sale of fattened steer, 1900 lbs,
at 1-2c.. 40 oV
Profit per steer. ..S oO
The price quoted for the fattened
steer, it will be noted, is very low, con-
sidering present prices.