Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-03-30

ern farmer, nor can he preserve or feed
| this material to better advantage than
| the southern farmer.
Forced by the high price of corn to
| consider the utilization of some other
! concentrate, is II not surprising that
| the western farmer turned his attention
| 10 cotton seed meal: when low and be-
! hold to his surprise he found out that
| a combination of this concentrate with
silage produced beef as chiefly or more
! cheaply than his favorite ration, and en-
abled him at the same time to finish
/ of animals of a choice quality at a very
! reasonable cost. This uncomfortable
/ truth which he battled against so long
| has finally dawned upon him, and hence
| IL is interesting to note that the western
| farmer now thinks he has made dis
covery which was patent in the south
| years ago and is Dragging and boast
| ing greatly about the desirabllity OF
! feeding silage and cotton seed meal as
a ration for the finishing of beef cat
tie. In many instances he has concluded
that it is practicable to do so, and UNI
like our own farmers has FASTENED to
put this method of feeding into action
with the result that thousands of tons
of cotton seed meal are now being
shipped north and west to be fed to beef
cattle, thereby depicting our southern
soils and taking away from our farmers
one of the most desirable concentrates
and fertilizers for which we are not re-
ceiVing proper financial return.
When will our farmers wake up to the
gravity of the situation and realize the
golden opportunity which the utilization
of silage and cotton seed meal offers
them? We can not afford to ship our
primary concentrate away and get for it
about half Of its real feed and fertilizer
value, and then pay high prices for
western beef when we could raise our
own beef at home and finish IL to good
advantage, thereby enriching our land
and increasing the income OF the aver
age farmer. OF course, the cattle tick
climatic conditions, the grade of live
stock. the cost Of establishing a beef
farm and many other questions will all
be brought up as satisfactory answers,
but there is nothing worthy of consid-
GRAFTON in these arguments. The fact
that 1000 pure-bred animals of differ
ent breeds were brought into the state
last year shows that there is plenty of
money available to grade up the native
stock, and we have built so many silos
that we know their vartues for preserv-
ing cheap and succulent food. We have
had enough experience in the feeding
and handling of cotton seed meal to
know that 1t makes the finest companion
food available for silage. Therefore, !
we must charge our failure to develop
live stock industries up to indifference
up TO the present time.
Unless we become active and agrees
sive along the lines indicated, the ten
dency will be for our lands to be fur !
Their depleted and "a greater percentage |
than ever of cotton seed meal fed in the
west. This Is nicely illustrated by a
Lawrence County. Indiana, farmer who
made a report on feeding a bunch of
beef cattle at feeders convention re-
Gently held at Purdue university. This
man had 80 head Of cattle with an aV- /
erage weight of ss1 pounds. He fed
them for 81 days. or little over two
months. on a ration Of silage and cotton
seed meal. He gave them a little dry
hay to pick over in the middle of the
day. These steers made an average gain
I'm the period indicated of 141 pounds,
which was equal to 2.2l pounds of in
crease in weight per head per day. In
doing this they consumped 49.2 pounds
Of corn silage, 2.6 pounds of cotton seed
meal and pounds OF hay per day. Those
who have studied the question of beef
production and the gains obtained in
proportion to food consumed will realize
how very small a consumption of con-
centrates this was per pound of gain.
IneSe steers Wnen puTCHdSeu COSl
1851 per 100 pounds. They sold for
$3.50 per hundredweignt. Therefore,
their increase in value amounted to
s633.64. Allowing for interest on the
investment. and the feed cost at the
prices ruling when the test was in
progress, the outlay amounted to $34s.5s.
The total proht was $2s6.06, or an av-
eIage of sS.s4 per steer. The value OF
the manure has not been taken into
consideration, though il is certain that
this would onset the labor and care be-
slowed on the cattle during the feeding
period, for the manure would naturally
be richer than ordinarily obtained on
account Of the cotton seed meal con-
sumed.
These figures are quoted to show that
in Indiana where this GARNER felt that
he had carried forward most success
full feeding test and had made good
profit on the operation, using silage OF
no better quality and which could not
be made any cheaper than the same ar
ttcle in Georgia, and that he used cotton
seed meal, very likely purchasing it in
Georgia az his chief concentrate, and
where there can be raised any one Of a
number of foodstufrs which will pro-
vide more nutrients per ton than the
hay used by this farmer. Moreover, Vt
is easily possible to find many cattle
IN Georgia which will make gains as
large as those obtained by the Indiana
farmer in question. In fact, feeding tests
conducted by the county agents and