McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1913-06-27

icSb WHiie Gil IOube w Tile WeSteI II
ranges than have ever been seen in
that place before in one day. Geor-
gia and Florida are sending out thous-
ands of these native southern cattle
at the present time at prices ranging
from SIS to $23 a head for mature
animals. A shipment of 40 carloads
of cattle was recently made from 0s-
ceola county, Florida, in one day.
They were shipped to Kansas via
Oklahoma City. The cattle were
dipped in arsenical solution before
loading, to free them from ticks, and
were to be dipped again on arrival at
Oklahoma City before going above
the Federal quarantine line.
Some people of the South seem
glad these cattle are being shipped
out, as the number of scrub cattle is
being reduced and the South will get
better cattle as result. They do
not look far enough ahead. however,
or they would see that if the shortage
Of cattle is such as to cause buyers
to come from the far West to buy
these scrub cattle for breeding pur-
poses, the chances of southern farm
ers refilling their. pastures with good
cattle are indeed small, for where are
these good breeding cattle to come
from at reasonable price? The
best and most profitable way of get
ting good cattle throughout the South
is to breed up the native cattle by
the use of purebred bulls and by cas-
trating all scrub bulls at an early
age.
The South is especially adapted to
raising cattle, because Of the long
grazing season, the enormous areas
of cheap land much of which is now
lying idle, the great variety of pas
ture grasses and legumes which grow
luxuriantly on all soils and because Of
the mild winters.
If the western ranchman can afford
to pay southern farmers good prices
for cows, pay the high freight rates
to the West, stand the losses which
naturally occur during shipping thin
cattle such long distances, also bear
the losses due to a change of climatic
conditions, and then make money on
them, why can not the southern
farmer who already owns the cattle
as well as the grazing lands, and who
needs the manure upon the soils, KEEP
his stock on the farm and secure the
increased profits? He can if he vii
free his cattle of ticks, increase the
efficiency of his pastures by planting
lespedeza. bur clover, white clover, OF
perhaps melilotus, alsike clover, an(
redtop, over his pasture lands; and by
raising more hays and forage crops
for wintering his stock and finishing
them for market. The surplus cattle
can then be fattened by feeding cot
ton seed cake on grass, or grazing
fields of velvet beans while feeding
some concentrate; or they can b
finished in the dry lot during the win
ter months. For winter feeding nj
roughage has proved more valuabl,
than silage, as the addition of it t.
the feeding ration increases the siz'
of the daily grains and reduces thei
cost, thereby making greater profits
The quality and quantity of Stag
which can be produced on some 0
these cheap lands cannot be surpasse'
by the high priced lands of the cor
belt, whereas the cost of producing
| it is far less because of the cheap la
Dor.
The farmers of the South are there
fore urged to discontinue this whole
sale shipping of their female cattle t
other states, to free the pastures @
the cattle tick, and to increase TIL
number and quality of their cattle b
the use of purebred beef bulls. Tn
progeny will not only grow taste
and make larger and better cattle
| but will be far more profitable t
raise and to feed than are the native:
The soils will be increased in fertilit
by the manure, which gives sue
profitable returns when applied to til
cotton crop and puts vegetable maj
ter into the soil. The amount of con
mercial fertilizer necessary to pre-
duce crop will be reduced and
more bountiful yield will be produceC
u Literature regarding methods c
feeding cattle in the South and Grad
eating the cattle ticks may be oil
tanned from the Bureau of Animi