The farmer and mechanic., 1914-08-25
GO IN FOR STOCK RAISING
Many See New Era in Hus-
bandry in The South; Can't
See Much Chance in Con-
tinuing to Raise Wheat So
They Will Try Cattle; Meat
Eaters Increase in Number

Times.
The southern farmer suddenly has
awakened to the fact that the meat
famine means future prosperity for
the small tiller of the soil, if advan-
tage is taken of the situation. Many
far-seeing farmers in the State have
made preparations to abandon the
raising Of wheat and corn for the
markets and go in for stock rails
ing. The soil in the Southern States
Is particularly adapted for the rails
ing of cattle and every experiment
tried thus far has resulted success
fully.
While this has been a good year for
wheat. the farmer has not realized
more than ten dollars an acre for his
labor. Wheat and corn are about
the only crops raised on farms OF
sixty acres and upward, and the cost
has been so heavy and the profits SO
small that many owners of large
places have become discouraged and
have offered their farms for sale,
with implements and stock. But
many others see a new era in the
raising of meat for the market.
The farmer got eighty cents
bushel for his wheat this summer and
the record yield was twenty-five bush
els to the acre. Out of this the
farmer paid his help, paid eight cents
Il bushel for threshing, and three
cents a bpshel for transportation to
Baltimore. Then the commission man
came in for his share and, as usual
the farmer got the small end of it.
The corn crop has not been harvest
cd yet, but the farmer does not figure
on more than fifty cents a buShel.
Out of this comes the cost of fertiliz-
Ing cultivating, cutting and huSking.
Along the eastern shore of Mary
land where farming and Oystering are
the principal industries the farmer
barely covers expenses. Labor here
is scarce, high and of poor quality
The negroes, who exceed the whites
In population, are independent, as
they can earn more money oystering
and grabbing than at farming. The
pay of labor is $50 a day and this
amounts to more at the end of the
season than the employer realizes or
his own labor and investment.
John Quimby, who has a 250-acre
farm on Broad Creek, in Talbot cOun
ty had fOrty-five acres in wheat. HI
harvested $40 bushels. His return:
after paying all costs were less thar
$500
There is nothing in it for tn,
farmer" he said to the writer. Ell
addition to the small prices, we fin.
greater problem in getting help.
go in for poultry and meat
Mr. Quimby raised fifty sheep, 80
turkeys and several hundred chick
ems thiE year and said they woul
bring him more money than all hi
wheat and corn.
William Harper, who has 10 acre
with a shore front at st. Michael:
sent S3S bushels of wheat to Bait
more by schooner. He too, realize
only so cents a bushel. When it wa
suggested that his profits were fift
cents on the bushel, he said:
FL wish they were. But when yo
figure the cost, my own labor and tn
expense of my horses and machiner
you will see that l really got nothin,
/ have been raising a few hogs an
find there is more money in that
am going in for hogs next year"
1t is the same story all along tf
Eastern Shore from Baltimore
Cape Charles. Similar reports con
from the Western Shore, from vi
ginia and from other States. The Fe,
erai and State Agricultural Depar
ments have supplied the farmer Wi
literature and statistics on stock raj
ing and have endeavored to induce IL
Southern States to take advantage
opportunities offered by the grown
scarcity of meat
Decrease i'm Beef Production.
A report from the Department
Agriculture at Washington says tn
the production of beef has decreas
thirty per cent. The last census Civ
the population of the United Stat
In 1910 as 91.972.266 an increase
1s,977,691 over 1900. These figur
show that the population has incres
ed since 1890 at the rate of 1897, Z
persons each year, and using the
figures as n basis the population
day Is S5, 5,S90,573.
Consider an increase Of 20,770, 8
in the number of meat eaters in I
United States TN the last thirteen ye: