The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-02-26


available land for arabic fields,
where grain, roots and the various
annual forage plants can be grown,
and also certain lands should be set
aside Tor perennial crops such as
cannot be used as pastures.
Economical stock-feeding requires
combination of both flesh-forming
and fatproducing foods in certain
proportions. These vary consider
ably with the class and condition of
the animals to be fed, as also, with
the requirements for which they are
fed. For instance, dairy cow must
be fed with a view to milk and but
ter producing, beef cattle with
view to weight in flesh properly pro-
portioned with fat, pigs are fed for
the production of pork or lard or
bacon-three distinctive feedings
dependent also on the breeds. Farm
horses are fed with a view to in
creasing and maintaining great
strength; speed with them is not a
requisite, whereas with a thorough
hraIl race horse it is. and hence the
lattor's food requirements are differ
onJ But whatever the requirement
for which the animals are fed the
proportions of feed are determined,
ana they must furnish definite
amounts of protein and carbonaccous
materials Protein is fleshforming
substance and carbonaceous is fat
forming substance The combining
Of proportions to give best results
cannot he done at random or by
Guess work; it must be scientifically
followed out, and our experiment
station has been and will be our
chief source Of information on these
points.
It has been clearly shown that
beth the soils and climate of Florida
ar" perfectly adapted to the raising
and fattcning of livestock by the
successful growth of cultivated
grasses and forage crops. Florida
can produce numerous and economi-
ca feed stuffs to meet all her re
quiromonts. ReagarWeed, velvet
beans and cassaya are almost dis
tinrtly Floriyla crops while in addi-
/ tion we can produce all the typical
forage and focdstrff Of the Southern
States
The feeding value of any fcedstotf
depends on its accessibility fully as
much as upon its mere composition
There are definite feeding standards
for each class of livestock, and the
balance of rations must be so proper
toned to meet actual requirements
of the animal 1t is therefore only by
growing combination of forage
crops on farm that proper and eco
nomical feed can be given, and this
can easily be done on a Florida live
stock farm, when we take into con-
sideration the almost infinite variety
of crops that can be grown at one
and the same time throughout the
twelve months of Florida's growing
season.
The degree of success in the fat
! tening of beef in Florida can be best
measured by actual comparison with
| typical results secured in sections of
the country recognized as beef-pro-
ducing sections, in which the fat
tening of cattle is successfully prac-
ticed for profit The two sections
taken for comparison are Texas and
Nebraska, both recognized as great
cattle States.
The results of experiments con-
dgcted at the Texas Experiment Sta
tion were as follows:
Weight o. steers at beginning.
6l6 pounds.
Daily gain per head. 81 pounds
Cost of gain per pound. 500 cents,
In Florida (under similar condi-
tons of feeding):
Weight OF steers al beginning,
635 pounds.
Daily gain per head, . 4S pounds
Cost of gain per pound 4 IA
cents.
The Nebraska comparison is even
more important. The Standard Cat
tie Company, at Allen, Neb.. gives
the following as results:
In $50 days there was a gain OF
%. Ga per cent in live weight at a
cost of gain per pound of s 10 cents.
In Florida in 20 days there was
a 2ain OF 9691 per cent in live
weight at a cost of / IA cents per
pound of gain
1t would seem that, from the facts
presented, not only are the nossibil