Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1902-03-13
POSSIBILITIES OF
Southern Maryland in
Growing Live Stock.
A Letter from one of the Insti-
tufe Lecturers.

n A<EHNCE Ak0ah 0AsC va 1hsG AASeA-
tufe Lecturers.
The heavy rainstorm prevailing
and the condition OF the roads max
ing il probable that only few Of
the farmers of ST. Mary's viii be
4.nahled 10 attend the Institute, Dir.
Am0ss being desir0us or making mrs
visit TO the county as helpful to its
citizens as possible, has suggested
that prepare a letter for the coun-
~ press ON the above topic.
have now been well over South
ern Maryland. in fact well over the
State, and have studied the condi-
lions from the point of view of a
stock grower: but of that OF farm
er rather than that of a ranchman.
The ranchman thinks of land as
valuable only for the grass that it
will grow, but the farmer realizes
that the cultivated grainsand grasses
and legumes are much more valua-
able than the native grasses.
We are just now at the turning
point in the livestock history of this
country. The range men have had
their day. The number of cattle
being grown upon the range is con-
stantly decreasing. The cultivated
areas of the country henceforth must
grow the meat products. Wherev-
er corn or clover or other legume,
as COW peas, will grow, there cattle
can be proiitably grown. Some of
the most successful beef producers
do not depend upon pasture at all.
Soiling crops are relied upon during
the Summer aud the silo during the
Winter, and 1000 pound steer made
in half the time that is necessary
under grazing methods.
The more rapid the gain and the
earlier in life il is made the less the
cost per pound. Another point of
vital Importance in growing beef is
that animals must be protected from
extreme cold in Winter and the tor
mentotl flies in SUMMER. The farm
;s<:s y = -s--------.----.,ls
range. We have found on Ohio FARMS
that cattle allowed to run in the pas
lures during the Summer, suffering
the torment of flies and depending
upon the dry grass for feed make
very little gain, and some years
none. The tendency even on good
blue grass farms is rapidly growing
toward Summer feeding upon soiling
crops or silage, during the extreme
ly hot months.
Much labor may be avoided how
ever, by allowing the animals to
Craze off the cultivated crops by
turning upon them for short time
morning and evening. Rye, Winter
oats, crimson clover, cowpeas and
even corn may all be fed off in this
way by hogs, sheep or cattle, thus
reducing the labor involved to the
minimum.
The great obstacle in the way of
increased live stock production
seems to be the thought of the great
expense of wintering them. Mod
ern methods of meat production very
largely remove this objection. The
animals are grown and marketed al
most entirely between the winter
seasons, leaving nothing but the
breeding stock to be wintered, and
the silo has come in greatly TO sim
plify and cheaper this part of the
work. An acre planted to corn and
COW peas and the product preserved
in silo will winter two head of cat
tie, and If the land were sowed to
crimson clover ut the last cultiva-
tion of the crop and covered lightly
with manure during the winter from
stable fed cattle, the same land would
nrnduca tha-cran fa.+. A.. 4-si- -
after year and in increasing amount,
as the land would constantly increase
in fertility under that management.
An acre of land should easily pro
duce 800 pounds OF beef by this plan
each year, and beef that would bring
as high price as any beef in the Mis-
sissippi Valley, if it was made upon
the right kind of animals. That sim
ply means well bred and quick ma
turing animal, such as the Polled
Angus, Hereford or Short Horn.
These are the only three breeds
that il would be at all profitable to
keep for beef purposes in this lati-
tude.
am forced to recognize that there
are now no cattle in the county or
adjoining ones that it would be wise
to employ for foundation stock. Ii
would be far better business policy
to go upon the Baltimore market or
into the cattle breeding sections OF
Virginia and buy heifers or cows OF
one Of the breeds mentioned and a
bull of the same breed, as it will be
worth much 10 have every animal in
car load just like every other one.
The Angus and Hereford are prefer
able for this reason.