Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-06-13
FACTORS IN BEEF PRODUCTION

un1SnnnE DEGL NaAAAG- - VI oAA ~
should ascertain whsther he has on
hand or can obtain at A reasonable cost
the tvpe and class OF cattle he must
feed IN order TO make a fair margin or
profit Second he must either have or
De willing 10 supply himself with such
equipment as is necessary Third, the
question OF available fOodstuffs must be
taken into consideration ana THIS ap-
plies TO both concentrates and rough-
age. Fourth. the question OF marketing
should not be overlooked, for II he can
not DISPOSE OF his cattle after he has
finished them. he has wasted his time
and effort
one who has studied the subject will
soou realize that there are two distinct
types OF feeders available in the south
Al the present time One OF these class
e OF cattle possesses a dash of Short
horn. Hereford or Angus blood On
this account they show some OF the gen
eraI characteristics of the beef type IN
other words they are rather short and
blocJxv in their outline. and short legged
Or low TO the ground They are deep
through the chest. broad and well nlleo
out nthe crops. have a good barrel ana
wide. deep. long. square hindquarters.
The hair is comparatively fine and SORT
and they are tidy. clean looking indivld-
uais They constitute good hlsh-
grade feeder. ana WuGu dNaAAchAN N1AA -
depended on If properly fed and handled
n make GOOD gains and a profit 10 the
owner.
There is another type OF steer, and
unfortunately the predominating type,
which does not possess the dash or
purs-bred blood referred to above They
are rather long and angular The par
rel is small. they are fiat ribbed. narrow
az the pin bones. and cut up high In the
- al
more evidence OF the dairy contorma-
ton and Of a superabundance of scrub
blood than anything else They have no
natural covering of flesh. and though
they may eat a great quantity OF food
they do not put the fat on those parts
OF the body which command the highest
price In other words, though they
may make fairly good gains. much VI
the fat will be found on the intestines
Hence they sell at a considerably low
er cost than in well-heshed steer. These
cattle in order 10 be handled by the feed
er to any advantage must he bought
very cheaply and fed with skill or the
owner will face deficit instead OF en-
toying a profit on the completion OF the
feeding period. Naturally, there Is a
movement I'm progress which In the
course Of time will eliminate this class
Of cattle and the more quickly this can
be done the more quickly will the busi-
ness OF feeding cattle become a perma-
nenr and profitable bushes in the south
There is a belief that owing 10 the
mild climate shelters are not necessary
for the feeding OF beef cattle in the
south This is a mistake. While heavy
investments in barns and shelters may
not be necessary, protecting the animals
from cold and rain is a very important
matter. Suitable hay racks can be
cheapIy constructed Of poles or Stats so
arranged as to avoid an undue waste of
roughage- These should be rooted over
&c keep the fodder dry. \ cheap shelter
with leantO roof and open on the south
side can easily bee provided. II should
be kept well bedded so that the cattle
may be kept dry during bad weather.
The grain may De fed I'm troughs placed
under the shelter. silo is absolutely
necessary on every southern farm where
beef production is the end in view. Any
one Of the numerous types now in use
may be erected The building of a per-
manent structure is desirable. OF
course, the silo should be places at a
convenient point in the feed lot so as TO
facilitate the distribution of the silage
with the least labor. An abundance of
pure water must be provided at all
times. and good drainage is another es-
sential 10 be kept in mind.
While a great variety OF foods may
be used. some OF the following Tstions
VIII be found practicable on many
farms. and If a proper rotation is fol-
lowed. all OF the roughage and silage
produced at home. To this end the
cotton land should be devoted to oats,
OF oats. crimson clover and vetch TO
be made into hay. This ground should
produce q second crop the same year
Of cowpea hay An area of land should
be devoted 20 oats and followed
5y corn and velvet beans. This corn
should De put in the silo. Those who
prefer may substitute sorghum or kafir
abundant range Of tame pastures. such
as Bermuda. bur clover. and Japan Glow
er other land IL available should be
devoted 10 the growth OF corn for grain,
the stalks TO be harvested and shredded
snd used as roughsge Every farmer
should make an effort TO produce con-
siderable area OF alfalfa. IL has now
been shown that where lime is wisely
used. alfalfa can be grown successfully
in practically all parts OF the south.
Cotton seed meal will be the main con-
centrate TO be supplemented when neces-
sary BY corn or oats Bran Will seldom
be cheap enough TO use. Along the gulf
coast molasses and rice bran can some
times be fed with advantage.
Inc L0lloWluE EdLlouS Tor pound
animals are suggested. Keep an abun-
dance OF mixed hay in the feeding racks
at all times The coarser and dTier fod-
ders can be used for this purpose. such
as straw and shredded slower. At GER
u IN times OF the DAY feed of legum-
nous hay should be provided. such as
ssssIfa. lespsdeza or pea vines. Thirty
forty pounds OF corn or cane silage
could be fed daily. along with four TO
pounds OF cotton seed meal. and
70 seven pounds OF shelled OF ground
corn
Il is possible, OF course, TO fatten and
finish steers 20 advantage without the
use Of much dry. rough fodder or
IeguminOus hay In that event one
should feed at least S pounds Of cotton
seed meal with an equal amount Of corn
oats or rice bran. And good silage at the
rate OF 30 20 40 pounds Along the
gulf coast black strap mOlasses can be
fed at the rate OF 5 TO pounds. The
amount OF corn TO feed can often be cut
down by using pounds OF cotton seed
meal. the same ration OF silage indicated
above. and plenty OF leguminOus hay.
In some instances. the corn can be cut
down To 4 pounds. OF with an abundance
Of srage can often be eliminated alto
ge1her. This practice is somewhat
wasteful OF cotton seed meal because OF
IS high protein content. but ina spite OF