The De Soto County news., 1916-02-10
FLORIDA AS A
CATTLE RAISING
State. Commissioner of Agriculture
Gives Many Reasons Why Florida
Is Adapted to the Successful Grow
ing of Cattle and Other Live Stock
Almost without Limit


NcRae has the following to say ii
regard to the possibilities of the cat.
t'r industry of the state Of Florida:
There are many reasons why Flor.
ida is adapted to the successful grow
ing Of live stock of all kinds, almost
without limit.
Among the principal reasons IS its
unlimited and unfaiing supply Of wa
fcr which is absolutely essential in
every county TO the successful pro.
Gucuon Of live stock of all kinds
Where water is not running from nat
ma sources, there IS hardly a locali.
ty iu the state that cannot he made
t. artifcially produce water enough
ful an reasonable purposes whether it
hu stock raising or other purposes. An
other wh.-h is equally as impurtan, /.
U. hort feeding and sheltCring peri
rd necessary in this state us compared
with other states in the Union, it not
being necessary. and that in parts Of
,Nc state only, to feed more than
.o,pD .....hs and shelter, po, sibly all
told. no more than six weeks in the
narc year.
Another AID as great an adyantl,"
iu this state d, the adaptabllity of the
SOILS Of Florida to the production Of
an kinds Of forage crops and at les,
cost Of production than elsewhere. or
course the climate has much TO do
with this, as well as the rain fall and
the soil but because of these coudi-
tinns there is no section Of the United
S'atoS that can suruasS Florida as
live stock producing country.
OF the entire area Of Florida there
are only about 100000 acres I'm FIRMS
and under farming control. There ore
not less than 10000 600 acres that can
he used to a greater or less extent for
forage production or grazing purposes
for live stock. This viii show thot
Florida has within her boundaries the
greatest grazing region east of the
Mississippi river, and practically an
unlimited capacity TO produce forage
crops to supply the live stock that
could be grown upon it.
The number of live stock Of all
kinds in the state is about 100000
In round numbers, and the value of
these is $25.OOO,OOO. Instead Of this
small number there should be not less
than 100000 head of live stock |
growing i'm Florida, in which case the |
value instead of being S25,OO0O00,
should be S25O,OOO.OOO to 5000, 900 900.
This may sound large, but it is entire
" practical and reasonable, and can |
be- easily obtained.
II the vast area Of the idle lands in |
The south, including Florida. were put !
I" these purposes. there would he no |
necessity for the big meat packers
tn 20 to Argentina to produce or pur-
'ha>e their meat supplies for the
American people or for export. There
Is land enough idle in the south in
Guiding Florida, to produce live stock
to supply not only the people of the
United States. hut all of the export
trade that America can control, and in
all - this Florida should have a
'nr"o and important part. In fact, no
ether southern state could excel Flor
Ida in this respect under intelligent
nNd persistent direction.
The number OF cattle on hand in
Florida on the first Of July, 1912.
when our last report was made up.
was S35,205. At the same time the
number of hogs in the state of all
"PeS was 661,4 ,437. Sheep of all ages,
ia sol.
The aggregate acreage in grain
rr"ps for feed was 642,942, and the
yield In bushels OF grain and feed
stuffs, which included peanuts and
sweet potatoes used for stock feed,
was 1904, ,24O bushels. The total acre
age in forage crops of all kinds was
l6o'466. The yield in tons Of forage,
which Of course included the hay Of
all kinds, was 177,S40 tons. The ton
mage does not appear to be 80 large,
but which 1t is considered that an av-
erage value of $40 per ton is con-
servative figure as to value. It shows
forage crops of more than three and :
half millior doliars vslue." :