The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-09-01
TO ADVANCE LIVESTOCK
INDUSTRY IN THE SOUTH

Encouraging manifestations of in
creasing interest in stock raising are
appearing in various parts of the
South at this time. The tremendous
Importance of building up a cattle in
dustry in all portions of the South ap-
pears to be appreciated now to a
greater extent than ever before. Meet
ings of cattle mems associations are
being held, organizations are being
perfected to foster the growth of the
cattle-raising industry, and individual
attention is being given to the subject
by farmers, merchants and bankers
in various places throughout the
South.
Mention was made not long ago of
the shipment of a ~trainload of cattle
from K~issimmee, Fla, to the stock
yards at st. Louis, and further infor-
nation from Florida demonstrates
that a great interest is being taken in
the raising of Herefords and other
%high-grade beef cattle, and the
growth of the stock industry in that
State seems to be on a firm founda.
ton.
In North Carolina much public in
terest is being taken in improved and
extended methods of stock raising,
twhileH in Mississippi and other States
of the South the farmers, as well as
merchants and bankers, are recogniz
ing the great value to the entire COM
munity which this form Of diversi-
fed agriculture gives.
There is no disposition to urge the
cotton farmer to entirely abandon
growing cotton and concentrate Who'll
ly On stock raising, the contention
being that stock raising should 60
hand in hand with other activities of
the farm. Stock raising is a means
of increasing individual independ-
ence, while at the same time stock
raising by farmers in general would
vastly increase the prosperity of the
South as a whole.
Significant recognition of the i'm
%portance of increasing attention to
stock raising in the South is found in
the meeting of the Southern Cattle
Mems Association at Birmingham
last week. There was a large attend
dance of cattle men and others, in
Guiding bankers from Birmingham
st. Louis, Chicago and elsewhere. An
interesting feature of this meeting
was the proposition to organize a
stockmen's bank with capital of ST.
100000 to finance the cattle men of
the South. The proposition was en-
dorsed by bankers from Chicago and
elsewhere, who recognize that the f.
nancing of the cattle industry of the
South is a factor of Importance. The
Importance of knowing how to handle
cattle, having neither too few nor too
many to handle advantageously, was
pointed out, but the prime requisite in
establishing bankable credit was de-
clared to be honesty and integrity.
"a prospective borrower" as one
speaker put it, may have limited cap
ital, his security may not afford all
the margin that a first-class bank loan
should have, but if his business and
personal dealings have been above re-
proach, he has gone a long way to-
wards establishing credit. If the
banker knows that the proposed bor-
rover is diversifying his crops, is
keeping his soil rich, has his fences
and Improvements in good repair,
carries insurance on his buildings,
grows a large proportion of what
his family and labor eat, as we'll as
his animals, and has about him hogs
and chickens and mich COWS, as
we'll as beef cattle, he may be fairly
sure that the loan risk is a good one"
Pleasing Oriental Custom.