Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-05-26
SENATOR TILLMAN GIVES HIS
VIEWS ON CATTLE FEEDING
IT, S. Senator From South Carolina Tells Experiences With
Feeding Barn and Slo-'t Is Only by Honestly Telling
Our Mistakes Says He, That Our Brother Farmers Can
Get Benefit of Experience

Last summer the newspapers or the
south had a great deal to say about
Senator b. r. --.Iman's feeding barn
and silos, which were tnen under con-
struction on the senator's farm near
Trenton. S. C.
Now, after experimenting thoroughly
in this big subject, Senator Tillman
tells his experiences. 1T is only by
telling our mistakes" says he, that our
brother farmers can get the benefit OF
experience"
BY q. s. Senator Tlllman
The feeding of cattle for the manure
has become so important and so inter
esting to the farmers that / feel any
authentic information on the subject
will be welcomed by the people general
ly. During the last year L experiment
ed along this line quite extensively and
obtained some valuable experience Tor
which / paid quite heavily. 1 feel that
lit is a public duty to let other have the
benefit of this experience as it may
save some man less able than myseI
to stand the loss from making the
same mistakes / did,
I bought 10S steers last October in
Tennessee and fed them until March. l
have kept books on the whole trans
action so that I am not guessing, ex-
cept where L indicate l am estimating.
/ have made so many mistakes that /
feel ashamed to confess them, but as
they are the same mistakes that other
men would be likely to make and VIII
make unless they take warning, l feel
willing to stand whatever ridicule shall
be caused by reading the story. l shall
if 1 live. follow UP the business this
fall, and I am preparing to profit BY
INV own blunders and write this to
warn others or to help them to make a
c.,arauc Of n
Now for the figures
EXPENSES.
los steers o. b.
Trenton. -. $4,251.99
10 cars of hulls. -. 1,O9S.72
cars Of cotton seed
meal. =. :. 1,165.14
Ensilage in two silos
(estimated. 10000
Freight on meal ana
huiis. -, 225.5O--s7.sss.s5
RECEIPTS.
1 car steers (26 head
sold in Washing
ton at &c. ....s1,5O2,1O
8 cars steers $50
head) sold in
washington at &C.
55c, SC. -. 3,795.29
steers sold to To- /.
cal butcher at
4.5c.. -. ........ S9.OO-a,Soo.oS
Loss .. -. s1,949,96
BLUNDERED IN BUYING
Although | used my best efforts and
sought information from every available
source, blundered egregiously in buying
the cattle. / only found this out when
went to sell. and then discovered a
great many things to which will direct
attention.
MY farm in Edgefield county is below
the quarantine line which the United
States government has established and
beeves from south of that line cannot be
marketed anywhere north of 1t without
a handicap of at least IL cent per
pound and the buyers take advantage
of that. 1 was in Washington when the
cattle were sold and found out southern
cattle have to be sold for Immediate
slaughter" have to be kept In separate
pens, and in every way the southern
feeder Is Handicapped.
The cattle were too small, averaging
when bought $50 pounds; and when sold
they weighed 937 pounds. In explanation
of these weights l will say that | give
the weights in Tennessee when pur-
chased. and the weights in Washington
when sold after four days and nights on
the cars. If could have sold at home
| ii would have been more satisfactory
and far less loss / am satisfied some
of the steers gained less than SO pounds
each, while others gained more than 200
pound each Some of the animals were
nt OF the beef type, although they were
grade Herefords, Shorthorns and Devons,
and were in good thrifty condition when
purchased.
I weighed three cars of these cattle the
day they were loaded for market and
they averaged 1880 pounds to the steer.
Four days later on the Washington
market these same steers weighed 92S
pounds, or loss of 1902 pounds each.
There were too many cattle for my
feeding barn, which is about 90 feet by
60 feet and can accommodate comfort
ably only 60 head. noticed from the
start that some steers were better feed
ers than others; always hungry, appar-
emily greedy, and would not be showed
aside, but would squeeze in and get their
share Others were puny and timid and
would fall in behind the rest when feed
ing time came, and these. of course,
could not and did not take on flesh as
they ought to have done.
NEEDED SCALES.
/ did not have scales TO keep tab on
the gain in flesh month by month as
should have done and will do hereafter.