The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1902-09-06
The South and Live Stock.

lives just forty miles below the qua'
antine lines. He believes that grea
future is before the South as NV
stock country, but he shares opposlt
views of many cattlemen who conside
the danger of Southern fever as grea
handicap. Speaking on this point n
says:
"If the cattle are handled rightly
the danger can be reduced to mini
mum but the moment the breeder o
the exposition management gets a httl'
careless his herd is gone. l have hat
oolv one death among my Northern
cattle in the past two years. and nov
see that l could easily have avoided
that The case was that of one of my
Young bulls, which I served to grade
COW. She was ticky. which did no
of itself mean that the bull woult
catch the fever, but 1 carelessly de
ferred spraying the animal with disin
fectants until too late.
There is general impression among
Northern cattlemen that the best thing
to do with their cattle when the stock
is shipped below the quarantine line OF
otherwise exposed to Southern fever, is
to inoculate them. For my own part
I am not in favor of incubation. 1t
NAV be effective in the long run, but
COW or bull that has been inoculated
remains in a poor. half-sick condition
for four or five months after inocula'
ton. Thus the breeder loses so much
valuable time.
1.-THE way l handle my cattle is to
spray them with disinfectants, and l
have always found this works admir-
ably, especially so when I keep my
breeding stock in fenced pastures and
do not allow it to mingle with the wild
native cattle. l have constructed a
corral or series of chutes into which l
can drive the pure breds from time to
time and give them good spraying.
Such a course Of procedure, combined
with common sense management, rem
ders Herefords as safe in the South as
in the North.
"The crying need of my State as well
as the whole South is better cattle
The people have at last come to reali-
cation of this, l think, and the future
will see rapid strides made in the i'm
proved quality of our range and feed
lot stock. The ever present Jersey is
too common class of cattle down my
way. We have a few Durhams, but
not enough to begin to fill the needs
of the country. 1t is good territory
fer the Northern breeders to work up.
and think they will find it as satisfac.
tory an investment as their deals in
the Southwest.
1.-TWO years ago bought five heifers
and one bull from Missouri breeders.
giving over $4,000 for the animals. With
the single exception mentioned above
they have done remarkably well. 1
have crossed my bull with native
grade Durhams, and this spring ex
pect fifty calves. which I will raise
and fatten for the markets.
Alabama offers plenty Ct induce
ments to cattlemen. We have no hard
winters, and never worry whether
there is a bounteous corn crop or not.
realizing that the cattle will carry over
just as we'll on hay. My heifers will
average well with any of the stock Of
fered in the ordinary present sale, vet
their only feed all winter has been
fifteen pounds of hay each day.
1--WE have the land and the where
withal to handle Herefords and other
fine cattle; all that Is needed is little
prodding Of our stockmen and my State
will soon take much higher rank in
he blooded stock raising business"