Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1911-09-14
The Highest Type Of Farming-Why Not
Prepare Yourself For n?

This is Young Peoples Special. but
since the young people of today will be
the grown-up people of tomorrow, we
feel that we can not do q better thing
for our Progressive Farmer boys, than
to call their attention to one line of
farming which has been all too general
ly neglected in the South. We refer to
live stock raising.
OF course, all farms have more or less
live stock on them; but what we mean
is this: Most farmers in the South do
not keep as many farm animals as thew
should; they do not keep animals of the
best quality, and they do not care and
look after and love their animals as
they should.
Too many farmers think that they
need no other stock than the mules
they must have to tend their crops. q
COW or two to furnish milk, two or three
hogs to kill and q little flock of poultry.
Now, we believe that this is the wrong
idea. Let US tell you why.
In the first place, you know you must
have good land if you make good crops.
Well, it is a matter of common expert
ence-a fact proved too often to be sue
cessfully questioned-that it is easier to
keep land good, or to make it good,
when large part of the crops are fed
to live stock than when they are sold
off. If you feed your grain and hay to
cattle and sell the milk and butter, you
take less from your land than if you
sold the hay and grain.
Again, if you raise cotton to sell to
buy meat and lard, your only chance to
get profit is on the cotton. You must
pay profit to the man who raised the
hog, to the man who killed it, to all the
men who handled it before you bought
it. When you raise the hog you get all
these profits yourself.
Once again, if you have plenty of
work stock, you can do better farm
work and do it easier and quicker than
II you lack team force. 1t is cheaper to
pillow with three horses than with one.
Other reasons might be given why
more live stock are needed on Southern
farms, but these ought to be enough.
when the boys who read this grow I'D
and begin farming for themselves we
want them to remember this one point:
The farmer who keeps plenty of good
live stock can do his work easier and
better, can get a bigger profit out of
the crops he grows, and can improve
his land at much less expense than can
the man who does not.
But it is not only more farm animals
we need. We must have better ones.
Go to any section where the farmers
keep pure-bred cattle Or horses or hogs
and see if you do not find better lands.
better houses, better farming general
ly, than in those sections where they
keep just any old kind of stock. You
know yourself, if you have a colt. a
calf, a pig, or chicken that is little
better than the common run-one that
you would be proud to take to vour
county fair, let us say-that you take
more pride in and get more satisfaction
out OF this one animal than you would
out of two or three scrubs. When Won
go to raising live stock, get good stock.
There is more money in that kind and
more satisfaction
Remember this, though: Even if YOU
were able to buy the highest priced ami
mails In your State, unless you know
how to feed and care for them, and I'M
less you had interest in and feeling for
them, they would not retain their good
looks and usefulness long. 1t takes
good care and good feeding to make
good animals, or to keep them good:
and the boy who expects to be stock
man cannot begin too early to find out
about the stock on his farm, to learn
how to feed them, the sort of care thew
need, what they like and dislike, and all
such things. One who is not kind to
his animals will not make a success
with them.
Live stock farming is the highest
type of farming, the one calling for the
most care on the part of the farmer.
and the one yielding the greatest re-
turns. 1t is very unfortunate that it
has been so neglected in the South. for
there is certainly no better place for it.
therefore, we are making this appeal
to the boys who have ambition and en-
ergy and who expect to do the very best
work and get the very best rewards.
that they begin early in life to learn all
they can about farm animals and how
to care for them. No line of farm work
will pay them better. The Progressive
Farmer.