The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1905-01-19
SOUTHERN : FIRM !: NOTES
or interest," 10 TIE PLANTER, sTOcxsAS AM0 zaOcx GROWER,

!, emphasize the importance of raising
beef cattle.
When one passes over the State and
sees thousands Of acres of iowiands
/ producing nothing, and tens OF thou
sands of acres of hillsides washed and
cut into gullies, he is impressed with
| the thought that all these lands should
be utilized. How can it be done so as
to render them profitable? CONNER
| cial fertilizers and cotton will never
| do it. Crying aloud for immigrants
will not make the barren places fruit
full and restore fertility to the hills
and impoverished uplandg. i.
Mr.. w, r. Walker, of Union, s. c..
is solving the problem in a manner
that is going to be most satisfactory.
His farm is in lower Cherokee County.
and lies on Pacolet and Broad Rivers,
a short distance above their junction.
It is about twenty miles froma market
| and the roads none Of the best. AS
| agent of one of the large publishing
houses. he has had the opportunity OF
| studying conditions IN several States.
He came to the conclusion that the
raising Of beef cattle would be the
most profitable business he could en-
gage in. He has land enough to pro-
duce one hundred head of beef cattle
each year, and a large acreage left
over for cotton. As the land is Inn
proved, he may double the annual out
put of cattle.
Mr.. Walker started out with Short
horns, which he considers the very
best breed to cross with the common
Or scrub COWS Of the country, but they
are too heavy and wanting in agility.
They cannot get about over billy and
rough and and get a good living from
short or scanty grass. They make
poor foragers. He then bought a herd
Of Angus cattle from Texas. about
ninety-seven per cent pure blood, and
some thoroughbred cows and bulls.
They went through the summer with
out any loss. He will bring all his herd
up to the Angus type. They are small
er than the Shorthorn, more active and
can bear rougher treatment and scanty.
pasturage.
But cattle have to be fed all the
time. They should never be allowed
to get in poor condition. Mr.. Walker
meets this requirement with peavine
hay, sorghum and corn slower. It re-
quires hundreds of ons Cottonseed
meal and hulls will be fed to those that
are prepared for market. ASesummer
p~asturage, he, has johnson grass on
the river and yellow clover on the
hills. He is putting out many acres
in Bermuda grass. He. also plants
land near his pasture fence in sorghum
cane so that when grass is short the
sorghum may be thrown over to the
cattle. He plants it thick in the drill
and does not thin it.
Winter pasturage is a serious prob
lem, but he will try oats, rye, wheat
and vetch mixed. He will also SOW
crimson clover. This pasturage is in
tended for cows with young calves,
sick cows and calves Greatest care
has been used to prevent the cow tick
from getting a start By change Of
pastures. ticks may be persisted out.
DR.. TAFT Butler, of North Carolina,
thinks that ticks will Gle in six months
if they have nothing to feed on. Mr..
Walker thinks it best to keep all cattle
out of m infested pasture for one year.
and then burn the dry grass in the
winter.
Keeping the pasture free from bushes
is quite q task. None of the grasses
for summer pasture will flourish in the
shade. The cattle are Aerded in lots
or in fields in summer and housed in
winter. The will thus enrich
the land very rapidly and save fertil-
izer bills Everything raised for sale
except cotton will be able to walk to
market and thus save a great expense.
Mr.. Walkers plan will be watched
carefully He has started out right,
because his only idea is: to raise beef
cattle. He is not working for a dairy,
fine hogs, chickens, sheep, AngOra
goats, pheasants or anything of the
sort. He simply wishes to raise best
beef cattle and improve his land so
that it viii produce four times as much
as Observation-Disclosures Petty, in Pro-
gressfvev Farmer.