Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-12-15

49,
abundance OF very desirable concen-
trates such as the dairy COW needs.
What is then needed TO rehabilitate our
dairy industry? First, the class Of cows
must be improved. This can be brought
about as follows: They must be more
literally fed than they have been on
foods suited to their needs. This simp-
ly means that the farmer must have
silo, provide more grass and grazing
crops for summer feeding, and use more
concentrates. This part of the problem
will not prove difficult for the aggressive
farmer, but the drone or laggard cannot
be helped simply because he will not
help himself. Undoubtedly We have
many dairy cows which should be dis
posed of because they do not yield
enough to make their maintenance IN
a dairy herd a profitable undertaking.
pair of scales costing a few cents
and a small Babcock tester will ena-
BILE any farmer to eliminate the thieves
from his herd When they are gone
their replacement by better grade of
stock becomes necessary. This can be
easily and simply brought about through
the introduction of pure bred dairy sires
of high quality into the different COM
munities. Small farmers should CO.
operate in the purchase of a sire; larger
farmers can afford to own their own
herd bulls. These sires should be used
only on the choicest of the heifer calves,
and in the course of two or three gen
erations il would be possible to greatly
improve our dairy cattle. In decade We
should be able to more than double the
average value of our cows, and so
magnify our dairy interests as to supply
our own towns and cities with an album
dance of milk and butter, which at
present prices would be a very remuner-
alive business for the farmer.
Immediate and aggressive action,
therefore, on the part of the farmer
would enable him TO Offset boil weevil
losses by establishing and enlarging an
industry well adapted to his section OF
the country, and which when properly
managed has proven one of the most
effective means of enriching the land.
OF course, IL means a change in meth
DDS of farm practice, but this will be
necessary whether the land owner likes
IL or not under the new conditions
which the boil weevil imposes. Why,
therefore, not follow the line of least
resistance and develop our animal indus
tries along constructive lines.
The beef cattle industry also offers
great opportunities to those Who are so
distant from markets that they can not
handle dairy products with advantage.
Beef cattle will thrive on crops adapted
10 the maintenance OF dairy cattle. ST.
lage Is an invaluable aid to the raiser
OF beef cattle. Cotton seed meal. vel
vet bean meal. peanut meal. corn and
other cereals will supply the grain need
ed for the winter fattening OF beef
cattle Their summer maintenance in
view Of the fact that We have so much
unoccupied farm land should not be a
difficult undertaking. At the present
time our beef cattle are valued at $3.50
per head. which means that they are
very inferior in quality, understood, slow
maturing and not properly finished for
the market. The only reason for this
lies in the fact that we have not in
troduced and used enough pure-bred
sires. standardized our cattle through
selection, fed an abundant and desirable
ration both winter and summer, and fl
naIly undertaken to finish them through
stall feeding so that when they go to
the butcher they will kill out a high
per cent of desirable meat. The prog
ress made i'm the introduction into Geor-
gia in recent years of such improved
races OF cattle as the Hereford, Short
horn. Angus and Red Poll shows that
we have a climate and soil admirably
adapted for the raising of beef cattle.
1t is a question of producing the crops
and the concentrates needed, and then
through the use of pure-bred sires and
a rigid process of selection and wise
management develop a grade and type
Of beef cattle which will fill the re-
auirements of our local needs and supply
our markets with an abundance of choice
meat. That we are far behind in the
quality Of our beef cattle is shown by
the fact that the average value of such
cattle for the whole United States is
s3S.49. When you remember that the
character OF our native stock may be
transformed in a period of three to
five years, IL is easy to see how I'M
2ortant Il is for us TO amplify our
beef-producing industries.
Sheep husbandry and swine husband
~ offer the same proportionate oppor-
tunities as beef and dairy production.
If we viii take advantage of the ex-
listing situation promptly the damage
which the boil weevil will otherwise in
flict can be minimized to considerable
degree.
/. FOOD VALUE OF WOOD ASHES.