The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-08-21


iarn. land. coo OF which are under
GuI,,Yatiun.
f.ou ais livery stable In town ]
dove Cat with him to one Of his
two farms. Several little things
happened on the way. The first
was stop at a small poultry farm
to buy dozen eggs. for which he
paid fifty cents. i've never seen
the tine" he said. when there
were anywhere nearly enough eggs
and chickens in tais country to 60
around Tha.'s western man come
here to raise EN-. He sure knows
how and he's going to make
money" Ten minutes later he met
man who had been out to his
place. and sold him on the spot ESQ
bushels Of velvet beans at $2.75 q
bushel. "What made you give up
the trucking gamer" l asked.
We'll, sir, was making money
at it, "he replied. 1--WE shipped
two trainloads of %atermelons and
cantaloupes out Of here in a single
season. But this is a good COW coun-
try and like cattle. There's good
safe money in raisin 'em. Those
velvet beans help to do the trick.
At $2.75 a bushel they more than
double the cost of planting and what
little cultivation they need. I get
the hay nitrogen they leave in the
ground. and that cuts my fertilizer
bill almost in half.
This year l am putting 100 acres
In velvet beans, 1926 acres In oats,
$50 acres in corn, 60 acres In pea
nuts and 70 acres in Sea Island cot
ton. I've got only 60 head of cat
tie now. which ! am grading up to
get good type of beefsteak. I re-
member the time when I'd brag
about steer that weighed 500
pounds. Now can raise 'em to
weigh 700 and 500 easy, and l mean
to raise 'em a good deal bigger.
First and last I've bought out nine
teen people, but want to have a
sure enough ranch"
Doubling the Size Of Cattle
"How about the money, McDuffy;
have any trouble getting what you
need from the white folks around
here?"
"None at all, sir" he replied. af-
ter bordering the question bit.
II reckon the only trouble Is that I
can get more than Is good for me-"
And that is one Of the most remark
able statements ever heard coming
from one of his race.
These native Florida CATTLE which
are being crossed, are much like the
dairy breed as beef producers-they
hav not the width and thickness Of
loin, the full, well.rounded quarter,
or the thick. well-covered rib. An
avrage nativ would yield say 240
pounds of dressed meat, while q
grade three.year-old, Weighing say
800. would dress $50. It has been
demonstrated time and again that
tho first cross Of good grade Here
ford or shorthorn with the native
cattle will not only nearly double
the size Of the snimal but will near
" double the amount Of dressed
beef. provided the animal has plenty
Of feed. Not only that: In the
market the improved beef 10 worth
from one TO two cents more.
McDufiy has undoubtedly taken
his cue from z. C.. Chambliss ana
others who are making money at
straight farming and livestock In
Marion and the adjacent counties.
Mr.. Chambliss was one Of the first
to see the possibilities in bringing
pure.bred cattle and hogs into this
particular section Of Florida. More
than 800 cattle have been fattened
on his farm this past winter, while
several carloads Of hogs have been
shipped to Atlanta from Marion
county. Mr.. Chambliss figures that
an acre Of velvet beans will put on |
I 900 pounds liveweight. He counts
the beans q by-product Of his rota-
ton rystem, and estimates the fertil-
icing value Of the plants as being
worth as much az the cost Of ham
ding, 80 that interest on the Invest
ment u the only real cost. He is
the only Florida farmer I have
heard mention the cost Of an orig
Inal investment and the interest
upon it-and the rate Is eight or
ten per cent a year at that.
There is one man In Central
who Is taking a stab at the
real thing. And he is making
money too. He has 1875 acres Of
and on which he produces two
birds OF his dairy feed-corn and
'orghum for silage, velvet beans.