The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1906-09-15
diIK hAfzIN Ii IkI IA.
High meal ana Milk Prices create Farm
and Dairy Opportunities.

4
According to statistics furnished by
| Consul James C. Kellogg, of Colon,
! the Republic of Panama has within its
territory about $4,000 cattle, $4,000
hogs, 5000 goats, 1900 horses, and
| 1000 mules. Mr.. Kellogg gives further
information as to cattle and dairying,
showing favorable openings for Amer.
leans to engage in these industries on
! the Isthmus:
SIT is estimated that 81, 800 cattle and
300 hogs were butchered in the
seven provinces during 1905. The
average market price of beef is from
20 to Is cents gold per pound, and the
quality is poor. As consequences Of
this high price of beef the working
classes complain very much, and an
effort is being made to induce the au-
thorities to remove the present duty Of
$40 head on steers and So a head on
COWS when they are imported alone for
butchering purposes.
"After many complaints made
against the cruel methods practiced in
the Colon slaughterhouse and the lack
of sanitary inspection of all animals
to be butehered for market purposes
name methods TO be Instituted, and
have agreed to the inspection Of all
such animals destined for food by a
sanitary official.
Comparatively few cattle are ex--
ported from or imported into Panama.
For breeding purposes bulls, cows,
and heifers are allowed by special per-
mission to be imported free of duty.
IA few of the Panama cattle raisers
have imported from the States Jersey,
Holstein, Durham, and Red Polled
Angus stock for breeding purposes,
but with poor results, due, no donbt,
to the fact that such blooded stock re-
quires great attention and care, espee-
tally in such trying climate as exists
here, which is utterly against them. An
American, who has a ranch in the
Canal Zone, informed me that he had
lost a great deal Of money in trying to
improve the native stock by crossing
them with blooded stock which he had
imported from the States.
II am informed by reliable authority
that no quarantine restrictions are put
upon imported cattle. The current
prices for native cows are from $50 to
$50 gold; for steers, s35 to $40 gold.
The average weig BIT Of live native cattle
is from 700 to 800 pounds; dressed,
from 300 20 $50 pounds.
ssIn the Canal Zone there are several
cattle raisers. The two largest have
their ranches at Gatun and Mindi. At
Monkey Hill and other places along
the line a few cattle are raised, vary
ing from 5 10 20 head each. The 18TH
mus is supplied almost exclusively
with cattle from the ranches of the in
terror Of the Republic, which range in
size from 1000 to 1900 acres. The
freight rates along the line of the Pan
anna railroad are, by carload lots, ac-
cording to distance and based upon
the weight Of 1000 pounds per head, II
to 10 cents gold being the minimum
rates.
There are no modern diaries in this
country, but in the Canal Zone. in the
city of Panama, and throughout the
interior establishments may be found
where COWS are kept and milk, such as
it is, is furnished to consumers. The
management of these so-called diaries
is carried on in a very primitive man
ner and furnishes poor quality Of
milk and which, in quantity, is not suf-
fcient to supply the demand. The
mich cows are rarely given shelter,
very little care is taken OF them, they
being compelled to forage around for
feed. Milk is sold at from 20 to 80
cents gold per quart and is usually
watered before it reaches the consumer,
and, poor as it is, is hard to obtain.
Hence, condensed milk and evaporated
cream have taken its place almost
completely in hotels and private
houses. There is reason to believe
that modern dairies, managed by ex-
perienced persons, would be paying
investments in Colon, in the Canal,
Zone, and in the city Of Panama.
ION the farms in the interior butter
and curd cheese are made for home
consumption only. There are about
Is, 900 acres of pasture land in. the
Republic. No tame grasses and very
little corn, only in patches of from
1 to 10 acres, are planted for feed.
The wild grasses that grow throughout
the country are the Low bite, ns'Para"
or "Spanish, = and the Guinea. = The
para or "Spanishn grass furnishes
the largest amount of cattle feed. It
covers the ground thickly and grows
very fast after being eaten off by
stock. It is more hardy than the
nLowbite'i or "Guinean grass and
stands the dry season better, retaining
moisture about the roots long after