Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-07-07
AGRICULTURAL
.gsSGduCatiOn
~ AND SUCCESSFUL EARRING
SE:ESSs " ANDREWM ooULE
SUPER BEEF FOR THE SOUTH

oats. bran and cotton seed meal. Some
mixed hay was used as roughage, but
mostly peavine hay was fed, 1t being
found that alfalfa hay, for instance,
produced an over degree of laXatiVeness
which was undesirable.
At thirty months of age this steer
attained a weight of LAP pounds and
was of such excellent quality that the
butchers who had a chance to examine
him while on the train offered S142.5O
in cash for him or the equivalent of
10 cents a pound live weight, very
remarkable price indeed for southern
butchers to be willing to offer for a
single animal. But he was worth every
cent of the money in question, and on
that account has been kept for display
as a three-year-old at the various fairs
to be held in Georgia this fall. He
not only possesses fine quality and a
beautiful conformation, but his flesh is
deep and well distributed over all parts
of the body. His legs are short and he
is low TO the ground, and undoubtedly
if slaughtered would kill out approx
mately 60 per cent of This live weight.
Moreover, he is not excessively fat or
patchy, and 1t is certain that the flesh
would be found beautifully marbled and
the meat of the choicset quality for
human consumption.
Such in effect is the story of the
steer that made good and shows what
marvellous transformation may be eff
fected in the character and quality of
live stock produced in the south III a
short time. How easy it would be to
get rid of the scrub If our farmers could
only fully once appreciate how unprof-
liable they are as compared with the
progeny OF animals improved by two or
three dashes of the blood of pure
bred sire. Observe that this calf was
not petted Or pampered in any way for
the first year and half of his life and
it is quite certain that there were other
calves dropped at about the same time
which would have made equally satisfac-
tory records. He was only stall fed for
about three months before he was sent
to the fair and he was only heavily
fed for about six months before he at
tanned the weight and the quality noted
above. This steer was not the product,
therefore of intensive feeding but was
handled in a manner possible and prac-
ticable on the average southern farm 1t
is noteworthy that the roughage he con-
sumed consisted largely of silage; that
the concentrate most extensively used
was cotton seed meal, and that this to-
gether with the corn and oats fed were
all products of the college farm. The
bran was, of course, purchased. 1t ap-
pears, therefore, that the feeds available
were satisfactory in insuring rapid and
uniform gains and the finishing out of
an animal of high quality.
1t is worthy of mention that the sale
price of this steer was equivalent to that
of nearly three bales of cotton at 10
cents a pound. Some acres of land on
farms that are especially we'll managed
and handled produce a bale of cotton,
but the average good farmer probably
does not secure over a half a bale per
acre. If the cotton seed raised on an
acre of land making the above yield were
made into meal however. it would pro-
vide enough Of this concentrate to feed
calf two pounds a day for 125 TO $50
days, or the average winter feeding Pc
riod in the south. One-quarter acre OF
land devoted to silage would produce
all that he could possibly eat in a period
OF $50 to $50 days, leaving three-Quar-
tiers of an acre to be used for the pro-
duction of oats to be followed by corn
or cowpeas, thus supplying such addi-
tional roughage and concentrates as
might be necessary, or if preferable,
the farmer could with a little adjustment
of his land grow silage and the otner
roughage and grain needed without re-
ducing his cotton acreage. 1t is certain
and increases his holdings of live stock.
he could through the accumulation Of
yard manures materially enrich his soil
and increase it's crop yielding capacity
in a short time.
These facts appear to indicate that
il is within the reach of many farmers to
soon own a herd of high grade cattle
evolved from native COWS through the
use of purebred sires, and that Bermuda
grass pastures, silage and cotton seed
meal will enable stockers to be carried
through the winter cheaply; that il Is
practicable to grow the foodstuff needed
for finishing the cattle off to good ad-
vantage, and that in so doing the south
ern farmer will diversity his crops and
build up the fertility of his soil. 1t is
also clear that he can finish animals of
high quality and which will command a
premium on the market, and that he can
secure a much larger return per acre
from live stock properly handled and
fed than he has been accustomed to be-
lieve.
MANAGING LAND COVERED WITH
WEEDS.
II. A. r. CheOah. N c. writes:
have a piece Of land that is covered In
large weeds l wish to cut the weeds