The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1914-04-10
6be South Best For
Production Of Beef

Inc SeokIdphiNdi iQCdtoh alI Nlc
climatic conditions Of the South are
such as to make i a good section for
cattle raising. The soils are so varied
that what may Be said in a general
way viii not hold true for all places
or sections Of this large area. They
vary from light sand to heavy clay.
or to the black prairie soils, or the
stiff post oak. As a rule the sitter
the sol and the greater the content
Of lime in the soils the more nutri-
tious the grasses are and the greater
is the variety Of clovers which will
grow.
The Piedmont section Of Virginia.
West Virginia, western North Caro-
Ina. Tennessee, and northern Ala
bama is fine grazing country, and
thousands Of good beef cattle are
found there. The Shorthorn is
more popular than any other breed
in this region. and they do exceed
ingly well. The grazing plants are
chiefly blue grass, white clover, red
clover, redtop, and orchard grass.
The cattle fatten very rapidly during
grazing season and raise excellent
calves. Most Of his region is free
Of ticks, and the losses from death
are relatively small.
The black prairie section Of Ala
bama. Mississippi. and Texas, and
the Delta lands Of Mississippi and
Louisiana, are extremely favorable
sections for raising and finishing
beef cattle. Experiments conducted
by the Bureau Of Animal Industry
and the Alabama Experiment Station
shows that cattle when kept free Of
the cattle tick can be raised at a cost
Of three to tour cents q pound. This
cost includes the keep Of the cows
for one year, charge for pasture and
all feeds consumed at market prices,
depreciation in the value Of the herd,
and six per cent interest on the
money invested. The principal ma
tive grasses which are indigenous to
these soils are Bermuda, Johnson
grass, Lespedeza and Melilotus; but
red clover, alsike Glove, bur clover
and white clover grow rapidly when
planted IL the pastures, and the
grazing season can be extended
greatly by their use. Alfalfa, soy
beans, cowpeas, corn, sorghum and
other forage crops do well on these
lands and produce an abundance Of
roughage and hays for wintering anc
fattening the cattle. The red clay
soils produce crops very similar to
those mentioned for the prairie soils
There are great areas Of ''cut-over'
lands in the South that range in
price from So to $40 per acre which
could be used for beef production
The soil OF such lands is usually
sandy or pest oak, neither Of which
are as good for grazing as the prairie
or delta lands, but which would fur
nish good grazing if little care wa
taken in getting pasture plants start
ed. On these soils carpet grass
Bermuda, Lespedeza, white clover
redtop, Paspdltuw dildtatam and bu
clover do exceedingly well. Th
carpet grass furnishes abundant graz
ing on the sandy lands while tn
Bermuda does better on the soil
which are a little stiff. The paspa
lum, white clover, and redtop d
well on the damp lands, and il SOM
lime is present. alsike clover will ful
nish fine grazing. The foundatio
of all pastures on sandy or sand
loan lands should be carpet gras'
Bermuda and Lespedeza. The v;
riety Of forage crops which may /
raised on this type Of soils is larg'
and it is an easy matter to grow q
the hays, siIage crops and foral
necessary for feeding the stock whiC
may be kept on the farm.
One of the greatest drawbacks
the cattle industry of the Sou
has been the presence Of the catt
tick that transmits Texas feve
which kills many Of the cattle ar
stunts others in growth. The til
is rapidly being eradicated, and il
only a question Of time until t
South is freed Of this pest.
The native cattle Of the South a
cold-blooded scrubs carrying a va
able percentage of Jersey bloc
They are small in size and infer