The Southern farm gazette. (Starkville, Miss.) 1895-1909, 1902-07-01
CATTLEIN THE SOUTH
Scheme in Florida That May
ReVOlutioniZe Industry,
Will Feed Cassava Roots Hundreds
OF Thousands Of Arid
Acres to be Utilized. |

Plans that were first taken into
consideration about. year ago
have been developed in the past
few months to the point where
some of the great packing estab.
llshments in Chicago have begun
experiments on what may prove
a revolution in the cattle ind ustrv
of the country. The project i'm
wolves the settlement of several
hundred thousand acres of what
is now nearly valueless land IN
northern and northwestern Flor
ida and southern Alabama, the
cultivation on large scale of the
cassava root and it's use in feed
ing cattle and hogs. If the plan
develops as it is now in the minds
of the packers, the southern
states will become the centre of
the cattle growing industry.
The cassava root was original
ly plant of South America. Its
value as food product was long
ago discovered by the natives who
made from it tapioca. However,
it was only recently that the
adaptability of the plant to Flori-
da was discovered and the great
value of it as food for cattle and
hogs was demonstrated. Re-
Gently the agricultural colleges
in the south took up the study of
the root and declared it to possess
wonderful properties as food
for animals and men.
When the possibilities became
known to some of the prominent
men of the south it proposed to
develop what are at present I'M
occupied and practically waste
tracts of land. Consequently
committee was formed, which, in
conjunction with officials of the
Louisville & Nashville road, who
are interested in booming the
lands along their right OF way
entered into negotiations with the
Chicago packers as the center of
the cattle business of the coun-
try.
Preliminary correspondencewas
carried on for some time, and re-
ports and Investigations made.
A few weeks ago the committee
had an audience with the packers
in Chicago, and it is believed that
the big concerns were so i'm
pressed with the representations
made that 1t was determined to
begin a test of the plans.
twas reported to the packers
that fully 100000 acres of land
were available for the project,
much of it belonging to the gov
eminent 3 nd open for settlement
free, under the homestead law.
The experiments that were I'M
dertaken are said to have shown
that an acre of this land would
produce 20 tons of cassava TO
crop, which iE return would yield
about 5000 pounds of starchy
material. Corn produces about
1000 pounds of starch ptr acre,
or Just half as much as the cassa-
va crop, and is said to cost much
more togrow than cassava, Far
thermore the corn crops freq an
tly fail on account of climate con-
ditions, while the cassava CROP is
said to be prasticably certain,
year in and year out.
Experiments made with cattle
fed on cassava are said to have
shown great advantage IN it over
corn or grass feed. Live beef
costs only IL cents pound to
fatten on cassava, against several
cents pound at present meth
DDS.
H. r. Stockbridge, prominent
agriculturist of the south, made
this statement: "Cassava is dis
tinctly a starch-for ming fat and
heat forming foods for all classes
of animals, human beings ipclud-
ed. It's chief value lies in cheap
ness with which fat-forming 'm1-