The Port Gibson reveille., 1909-11-11
HOW MUCH STOCK CAN BE KEPT
ON THE FARM.
nv w. B. Mercier)

This is an important question that
we are often confronted with, and it
is one involving good deal of
thought among our best farmers to-
day throughout the country.
There are so many things to be
taken into consideration in giving
direct advice on the subject, and it
is quite difficult to write about it ex-
cept in a general way. Specific ans
wers can be given only when quite
a humber of details and local sur
roundings are known.
It is safe to say that very few
farms carry more stock than they
should-many not half enough.
About half the area of the United
States is what is known as improV-
ed lands. Two-thirds of this is de-
voted to cultivated crops, including
meadows; the other third and con-
siderable part of the unimproved
lands are devoted to pastures for
stock of various kinds. No country
has ever been eminently prosperous
without raising a great deal of stock.
1t is absolutely essential where the
soil is kept in high state Of fertil-
ity.
There are thousands of acres all
over the country that should never
have been put into any crop except
grass. The rough, rolling nature OF
the soil makes it impossible to hold
it in any other way. 1t is often
very fertile land, and would stay SO,
and perhaps improve, if only grass
and stock were kept on it.
This state of affairs is especially
true of the South. Our long, open
open winters, sandy loan soils, and
torrentiaI rainfalls would make a
very hard problem to hold hill soils,
even when cultivated with highly in
telligent labor. But with the care
less Indifferent element that we must
depend upon for our field labor, it is
no less than a crime against the
State and future posterity to continue
in the same line as heretofore.
!
Much more land can be made. to
yield a revenue by using 1t for
stock to its full capacity. Grass Is
the food of nature for animals, and
only the smallest amount of labor
need be expended to produce it. The
animal will gather it, market it and
fertilize your soil, and give you as
much net profit as anything yol
could grow with many times tnt
amount of labor expended.
The kind and quality of stock tC
be governed by the size of the farm
nature of lands, disposition of own
er, water supply and numerous othei
details. A man suited to one kline
of stock would be failure at raising
another
Dairy farming is undoubtedly th'
most profitable of all farming where
it can be located conveniently t.
market, and is superintendent by al
intelligent and Industrious man witt
willing and reliable assistants. Hog
can be grown more profitable In con
nection with the dairy than in an,
other way. Good pastures, dairy by
products, and minimum amount o
concentrated foods will produc
pork from a twentieth century hog a
a figure that would astonish the mos
successful breeders of the past cen
tury.
Every farmer should raise all hi
work stock at least. Some Of tn
most successful men in small way
on the farms familiar to our boy
hood days. grew all the horses an
mules used on their own farms
Many of them had one or more TO
sale each spring, and they usuall
brought full value, and premium
above any imported stock. Goo
cattle can be grown In the south wit
enough care, though not SO wel
adopted to this class of stock as
others.
On every farm there is cheap fee
stun which will not pay freight an
/. yield a profit, but when we conVeI
ten pounds of this dry feed into
pound of good meat, or thirty-fiv
pounds into a pound of butter, W
can pay freight on this and still hay
handsome profit
We hope each man will study ou
this problem for himself, apply con
mon sense to his case, wake up
} the situation and get abreast of tn
) times before others, seeing the oI
portunities, come in and steal b
) birthright. DR.. Holmes said that th
/ world was divided into two classes
: zone who does things, the other VIII
sits still, and ask why it was not don
: another way" To which class do yo
j belong7