The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-11-22
Finishing Florida
Cattle At Home

(Florida Grower and Homeseeker)
How many times during the pas
year have we seen items in the
Florida press to the effect that sew
eral hundred head of cattle have
been shipped from some point in the
State of Texas, Oklahoma or western
packers feeding pens to be Fin
ished' for the market?
Why can't we finish" these cat
tie in Florida and take for ourselves
the big profit that goes to these live
stock brokers in other states? The
present practice is nothing short of
suicidal. Of course our stockmen
make handsome profit on these I'M
developed range cattle because the
range is big and free. Also at the
present time there are a large num-
Der Of cattle in the state available
to market in this fashion SO thew
may argue that the plan is good. be-
cause it keeps outside money com
ing in to us without any effort to
speak of. But now that cattle are
going out of Florida by trainloads.
how long will our present supply
last? Northern feeds and packers
can take Florida rance cattle out Of
this state at $500 and $4,000 per
head to Finish" at big profit to
themselves, faster than we can raise
them. A pertinent question is,
how much longer are the big free
ranges going to last Isn't it true
that the best range country makes
the best farming country? Then
now soon will the time arrive when
all OF the GOOD ranges in Florida will
be sold, fenced up and denied to the
rang cattleman?
we viii venture the prediction
that within five years open ranges
IN this state of any value will be few
and far between. How much longer
are we going on in this state of IN
preparedness? This serious prob-
lem IS facing the cattlemen of Flor
Ida today. There is only one solu-
ton and that is improved methods
of raising livestock.
As regards FINISHING" our range
cattle here in Florida, why cant the
hl% cattlemcn of this state get to-
gether and organiza company TO
maintain feeding pens for this pur-
pose The cattlemnn of Florida are
financially able to do this. Let them
seloct several thousand acres of
land centrally located or convenient
TO Good transportation facilities.
cultivate bi, fields of corn. velvet
means. cane, cowpeas and grow eX
tensiYe Bermuda grass pastures and
puild and feed from silos. As fast
as this big ranch can provide acco-
modations and grow feed, let it pur-
chase first the highest grade range
cattle in the state and finish and
snip direct to Northern packers.
Who then would Get the profit? How
many hundreds of thousands of dol
lars would such proposition be
worth to the State of Florida if il
were even only half developedo
On big ranch of this sort, the
cattle could be put through dipping
vat and the entire PLACE freed from
ticks. Think of the saving in feed
from this item alone. Consider the
item of fertilizer. Very little. if
any. commercial fertilizer would be
needed for the feed and hay crops
on this ranch
1t might take quarter of a mil
lion dollars to establish ranch
proposition of this kind, though we
believe the plan could be put into
effect upon a much smaller scale
with good results and thereby prove
practicability. 1
In The beginning a thousand-acre
ranch, properly cultivated and man
aged, should be able to Finish"
several hundred head Of cattle each
year. Such an enterprise would call i
for sood business Judgment, fore
Sirlt