The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-04-08

l consider this the most important
gathering of men that has ever been
held for commercial purposes in the
state of Florida. We are laying the
foundation for an industry that is
destined to put US in the front rank
of meat producing states, and per-
haps, the world. In laying this foun-
dation we need to build well for it
will be lasting.
To produce meat, it must be done
at a profit to the producer. The day
of ignorant producing of meat is
past, so that it becomes US to gather
and discuss various problems that
affect the profitable producing of
meat, giving our reasons and expert
ences in anything that affects US,
whether good or bad.
One of the most important items
for stock growing of any kind is
proper feed, and think we have no
feed of more value than sorghum. |
have planted sorghum for the past
eight years in large quantities, being
interested in feeding perhaps as high
as 200 mules and horses at one time.
have planted only one variety.
Early amber. To get good crop,
the preparation of good seed bed is
very essential. To make this prepa-
ration properly, you should break
your land well and harrow deep,
using plenty of fertilizer, planting
about the tenth of March and the
first of June. After the seed are up,
give frequent shallaw civilizations,
and you should be able to commence
feeding not later than ITO days after
planting.
The proper time to commence feed
ing horses is when about one half OF
the seed becomes black and at least
four-fifths of all your sorghum has
seed out. When your sorghum
reaches this condition, you can cut
and feed it in abundance without any
fear of making your stock sick. 1t
is very essential that you do not feed
sorghum to horses or mules until 1t
reaches this particular stage. If you
do, YOU are likely to make them sick,
and you may have serious results.
Do not let your sorghum lie in the
field after cutting it down, but haul
it in Immediately and put it in your
manger for your stock to eat, feed
ing it so abundantly that You will
have to throw out a small quantity
at night for your pigs to eat, which
has been left over by the stock.
1t is not profitable to run the sor-
ghum through feed cutter before
feeding it green to horses and mules.
You will find that they will eat more
abundantly of it if you feed the entire
stalk, although they waste quite a
good deal. I have followed this
method of feeding turpentine and
logging mules and horses for num-
Der of years, usually commenting to
feed about the first of June and
keeping it up until the fifteenth of
October, and my stock, during the
time l was feeding corghum to them,
were always as good as they were
when fed only grain and hay. My
books show that we reduced grain
one-half and hay four fifths, while
we were feeding sorghum to the
stock. The proper amount to plant
is one acre of sorghum to each horse,
and this should be planted two-thirds
on March 10, and one third on June
1st. Some will tell you to plant it
all on March 10, and cultivate the
stubble, getting a second growth that
will be equal to the second planting,
but l have not found this 40 be the
case, and / do not approve of trying
to get two cuttings for feeding horses
or mules from the same land the
same year. The reason of this is
that your second cutting will not
mature SO evenly as it will when
planted from seed. There is always
great amount of suckers that are
green and not nutritious for the