The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-05-03
South Carolina Cattle.

The cattle market in South Carolina
has been recognized by the larger cat
tie markets of the world, which is
illustrated by the following story ap-
pearing in the Breeders Gazette the
most authoritative publication of it's
nature in the United States:
Much has been said and written
OF the possibilities of beef-making in
the middle South, but prophecy of in
creased production in that region has
shown little indication of making
good. The cotton region has been a
buyer Of northern dressed beef in a
moderate way and of Chicago-made
hog product in enormous quantities.
Possibly the tide has turned. as
straws going in that direction are to
be found floating on the surface Of
the trade stream.
Two weeks ago a buyer for one of
the Chicago beef concerns, which also
operates large slaughter plant in
New York known as the IS. S. was
missed from his accustomed beat Oh
the market and simultaneously that
concern curtailed its purchasing of
cheap light cattle. The market is SO
sensitive under present conditions
that the elimination Of even one buy
ing interest is promptly felt, ad
bovine rubbish was a dull lroposit-
ion while this house was out. When
the buyer referred to returned the
fact leaked out that he had been
down in South Carolina picking up
several thousand little southern cat
tie that had been fed on meal and
hulls during the winter. They aver
aged l,075 pounds and were shipped
to New York for slaughter. The man
who secured them asserted that the
feeders were northern men in every
instance, and that in four counties in
South Carolina about 5000 of these
little southern steers had been fat
tened during the winter, the bulk
Of them being bought to go to New
York. Philadelphia and Baltimore.
Every steer raised in that quarter
made competition for the corn belt
feeder as eastern buying at Chicago
was curtailed to that extent.
j. d. Huffman, a Chicago cattle
buyer, recently made a trip through
the east, visiting the Virginias the
Carolinas, Tennessee and Florida,
and his prediction is that the whole
region will be in the beef-making
business hereafter. Northern farm
ers are migrating south. The old
fashioned southern method of fer
tilizing with cottonseed meal is re-
pugnant to the northerner, as it's sa-
vors Of waste. and he gets double act
ion by passing it through the steer.
The result has been a rapid ap-
probation in values, and the stuff
that comes out of the bush" has
been fed instead of rustling. Oxen
have been relieved of wearing the
yoke and have been used for beefing
purposes and mules substituted. 1t
IS development most conspicuous in
the Carolinas and Virginia, but. it
is to be detected everywhere. The
southeast enjoys the advantage Of be-
ing comparatively close to eastern
markets, and it has a climate that
renders the growing of stock cattle
easy were it not for the handicap of
the tick. With northern energy be-
hind it, the beef producing industry
of the south promises to become A
serious competitor Of the corn belt
feed lot"
There were over $1,000 cattle fed
in South Carolina last year for the
market. This was the result of a
campaign commenced two years ago
by tn" State department of agricus1
ture.
The Breeders Gazette. commenting
oditorially on meat production in the
South, says that the South has not
been country of stoclmen and that
ii is only Just beginning 10 raise
m at-producing animals