Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-07
THIS IS SOME FARM
Eleven Thousand Head of Cat
tie Fed on Texas Ranch.
RAISES BIG CROPS
Finds Corn and Rice and Alfalfa
More Profitable Than Cotton,
Labor From Russia.

What an immense business a we'll con-
Quoted farm can be is indicated in a let
ter that has just been sent the Secre-
tary Of Agriculture by DIR. B. T. Gal
loway, chief Of the bureau of plant in
dustry of the Department of Agricul-
ture. He has recently received a detailed
account of the Borden ranch in Texas
from Mr.. kinsler, young employee of the
department, who has been for some time
In Texas on departmental work, and has
kept in close touch with the development
of the big ranch.
The owner has made a big business of
his farm and is the patriarchal head of
quite community. He has 11,OOO acres
in rice alone, LOO acres in cotton and
200 acres in alfalfa. He imports his
laborers from Russia and keeps II 600
head Of cattle on his place, feeding prac-
tlca!iy everything he produces to his
stock and thus getting it back in fer
tilizer on the land.
Got Cattle From India.
He is the man who made quite a ma
tional reputation some years ago by i'm
porting the humpbacked Brahma cattle
from India to cross with the native stock
so as to make a breed that would resist
tick infection and allow raising cattle
In spite of the Texas fever In connec-
ton with the ranch Dr. Galloway says:
You visited this plantation some years
ago and you will probably remember the
owner as having made a special trip to
India to introduce the humpbacked Brah-
man cattle. Mr.. Kinsler says that eff
forts in the breeding of the Brahmans
are proving very successful. Last season
was an exceptionally severe one in the
matter Of ticks, and, while it was nee
essary to dip thoroughbred cattle and
shorthorns from three to four times, the
crossbred cattle went through the sea-
son without any dipping whatever, and
were practically free from ticks. Mr..
kfnsler further says that as rule the
crossbred cattle are averaging from 100
to 200 pounds heavier than the thorough
bred when grown.
Third Crop Is for Seed.
LAS indicating the rancher's activities
along agricultural lines. it may be inter-
esting to know that he produced last
year 1S5 tons of sorghum seed. The seed
he sells to farmers of Texas for plant
ing, and the sorghum itself he silos. He
usually cuts two crops, leaving the third
crop for seed. At the last cutting he
averaged fifteen tons of siiage and sixty
last year about $4,000 bushels of corn
and 100000 pounds of rice. He has IL 900
acres in rice, and Mr.. Kinsler states'that
he produces about 2 per cent of the rice
crop Of the United States. He has LOO
acres in alfalfa, which he cuts two to
three times. He is going quite extern
sively into hog raising, and is shipping
his hogs now to Fort Worth and Hous-
ton. Eight carloads went out of his place
short time sago, SO Mr.. Kinsler tells
me. He is not producing as much cot
ton as formerly, owing to the fact that
he finds other crops more profitable. He
has now about 1, 100 acres in cotton.
Convict Labor Too Dear.
"a quite radical change has recently
been made in his labor force at the con-
vict farm which you visited when you
were in Texas. The state has been
steadily raising the price Of convict labor;
moreover, the rules, under pressure, have
been made so strict that it was found
days work, hence the owner got rid of
them all and is now conducting his farm
through the help of Russian peasants.
These men are brought in directly from
Galveston, and he pays them $50 per
month and feeds them and takes care Of
them when they are sick. Mr.. Kinsler
says that for two or three years they
make most excellent farm help. After
that they become more or less American
lied and strike out for themselves as
small land renters or sometimes owners.
They do much better work, however,
than the negro convicts and do not have
to be guarded or kept in squads, which
is an important factor in accomplishing
results.
1.-THE owner has in the last few years
quite materially changed his system of
feeding cattle. He has divided up his
extensive grazing grounds into pastures
and through his production of corn, sor-
ghum silage, alfalfa and similar crops
has been able to intensity greatly his
production He now has about 11,OOO
head Of cattle and endeavors to main
tain about that number each year. All
Of his cattle are fed silage: in fact, every
thing on the place is fed silage at some
time. The alfalfa furnishes excellent
grazing ground for his hogs, SO that
practically all Of this crop is used up
on the place."