Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1908-08-29
FARMERS INSTITUTE
big Bud" Describes One at
Prairie Point.


Prairie Point by Professor Moore,
of the A. & M. College, and Mr..
Devo Sanders, practical farmer
and cotton man Of Starkville, Miss,
which was thoroughly enjoyed by
all whose good fortune it was to
be present and hear them.
Mr.. Sanders spoke first. He told
us how to make good pasture
that would furnish good grazing
very nearly all of the year. Ber-
muda grass was the foundation,
and on this SOW white and burr
clover and blue grass, and any
one who had a pasture containing
these grasses could fatten steer
on every two acres, and l. he
would buy cattle in the spring and
put them on this pasture, he could
safely count on profit sufficient
to pay at least three or four dol
lars per acre, and need not be
afraid of the much dreaded boil
weevil. Mr.. Sanders said that he
was an enthusiast on alfalfa, but
thought we ought to get young
mules and cattle to eat it, as we
had rain too frequently to have
much good hay He had forty
acres in alfalfa, and it kept him
busy cutting and saving it, and
when he heard of a man putting
100 acres il alfalfa, that man was
sure preparing to ''get busy" The
speaker said that East Mississippi.
from Tupelo to Macon, was the
finest stock country in the world
and that our people ought to go
into stock raising that he noticed
coming out from Macon. that
more than one half the land was
lying out, and that the cotton
would not make more than bale
to three or four acres, and that we
could not compete with the rich
Delta in raising cotton. However
we could fence our lands and sup
ply mules and beef cattle. Mr..
Sanders said he had not seen a
sheep. but had seen lots of dogs,
and that we would find the raising
of. sheep, very prefitable- He'
asked Il any Of his auditors had
sheep, and what was their expert
ence.
Mr.. Albert Henley said that he
had started with nine sheep three
years ago, and had sold lambs and
wool to the amount of $50, and
had nineteen on hand now.
Mr.. Neville said he had fine
sheep, and found them very profit
able, but could not equal Albert's
experience. Mr.. Sanders said he
had got his pasture so that he
could Craze two head of cattle and
two head of she.p to the acre,
and one could have just as good
pasture as he had, for the best pas
ture he ever had was John Gun
niugham's, at Cliftonville. John
says his pasture is splendid, but
he don't get much profit out of it,
for his boys think so much of him
that when his cattle get fat, they
get them out and sell them, thus
relieving him of all trouble. About
a year ago he missed a fine mule,
and thought it was either dead or
stolen, but not long ago he found
negro blowing this same mule,
and asked him where he got him,
and the negro said: ~ buyed
him from Marse Guss y
Prot. Moore followed Mr.. San
ders and told us of the dairy COW,
and how profitable dairying in the
South was, and that it also en-
riched the land. He said that a
ton of alfalfa was worth as much
for feeding dairy cattle as a ton
of wheat bran, and he could put
the ton of alfalfa in his barn at a
total cost of $40 ton, and
wheat bran was selling in Stark
vile at 1872 ton. He recon-
mended the building of silos to
save Ulc dlldlld Ill WcU Wcdgllcl,
and said it made splendid silage.
He remarked that every one ought
to have a BabcOck tester and test
their milk, and get rid of the cows
that were not making butter. He
recommended the saving of oats,
&C., for early pasture. and after
the cattle were taken off, one
could get fine cutting of both.
Then cultivate the land in peas
or corn, and the vetch would re-
sod itself.
| asked him if he was bold
enough to tell the crowd before
him that he could not feed richness
into the milk, and he said that he
was, for he was borne out in this
statement by all of the authorities |
that he could feed literally and
get more milk, and thus get more