The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1913-11-14
THE SOUTH'S GREAT
OPPORTUNITY IN THE
RAISING OF CATTLE

! The South's incentive to cattl
i raising was never so urgent as to
: day. Many Western States hav
suffered severe drouths as resul
Of which there will be a shortage Q
corn and forage crops, followed un
doubtedly by scarcity Of beef an,
a season OF unusually high prices
The problem of the country's mea
supply has been serious for severa
years past, and from this time for
ward it will become continually
more so. 1t is the 5outh's peculiar
opportunity to relieve the situation
and in doing SO upbuid its owr
interests.
: The West can no longer be de-
pended upon to produce anything
like enough beef for nearly a hun.
dred million people. 1t is said, in.
deed, that the days of the great
ranches beyond the Mississippi are
| drawing to an end. The thousands
OF acres once devoted to this pur-
pose are being turned to other uses.
| Within the past decade the produce
tion of cattle in the West has stead
| ily declined, and in 1icationS are that
within the next ten years the decline
will be still greater. When to this
tendency is added the cllrtailment
OF corn and pasturage resulting from
the recent drouths, it is easy to see
that the beef supply for the coming
year will be exceptionally short.
Experts on agriculture and animal
industry declare that the South's
natural resources for cattle raising
are among the richest and most
favorable to be found anywhere in
the world. This is notably of Miss
issippi. The soil is adapted to the
growth of the most nutritious
grasses. The mild and equabIe cli-
mate reduces to a minimum the cost
of winter housing. All the cond-
tons necessary TO the economic
production of high grade beef cattle
are abundantly present in this and
other Southern States.
The South should not sleep over
SO inviting an opportunity. BY turn
ing its attention to cattle raising it
cannot only win larger place in the
economic affairs of the nation, but it |
can also solve many Of its own press
ing problems. The people of Miss
issippi alone are now spending more
than a hundred and Seventy-two |
million dollars year in buying from
distant sections such food supplies
as beef and corn and oats; and it is
estimated that the total value of the
States cotton crop lacks over thirty
seven million dollars annually of
paying its food bills.
If Mississippi raised her own cat
tie, how vastly different and better
this condition would be! A fresh
glow of independence and prosperity
would infuse her agricultural life and
reach all the bounds of her business
interests. Her farms would be self
sustaining, her merchants and bank
ers and manufacturers and railroads
would thrive as never before; she
would become an export rather than
An important State, and instead of
looking to other sections for her
food, she would be a great store
house to which all the roads of mer-
would lead.
There are hopeful signs that Miss
issippi and other commonwealths of
the South are awakening to their
in this regard. Every
little while we hear of large enter
prises for the establishment of cattle :
ranges. Several Syndicates with
this end in view have recently been
in Texas and Louisiana,
while during the past twelve months
stock raising on modern basis has
been undertaken in several Mlssis-
sippi counties.
1t should be remembered, how
ever, that ambitious plans and much
capital are not necessary to the gen.
eral progress Of this important in
1ustry. Every farmer has at his
the resources from which
o produce his own meat supply and l
,ther food necessarieS; and, if every
armer will take care of his own
reeds, the entire State will be won ,
irously enriched. The one great
prerequisite of cattle raising is the 4
production Of a suficiency of corn, =
,ats. hay and other forage. It be-
moves our farmers to begin now ]
md by cuItivating crops Of this kind ]
ay broad foundation for the cattle
industry.