The Ocala banner., 1917-09-07
RAPID STRIDES IN STOCK GROW.
ING IN CENTRAL FLORIDA.
(Peter Stanley

bring Florida in the limelight as an
agricultural and stock raising state is
attested by some of the real farms
now being created by men who have
been able to discern with somewhat
of prophetic power some of the pos
sibilities of this state along these
lines. One of these men is Mr.. L. K.
Edwards, of Irvine, in the northern
section of Marion county Mr.. Ed
wards, yet comparatively a young
man, has achieved marvellous wonders.
He is a native product of Marion
county.
A few months ago The writer had
occasion to refer to this farm in a few
brief paragraphs which led to a
thorough inspection of the properties
in company with Mr.. Edwards him
self, and Mr.. H. j. Jernigan, super
intendent of the agricultural depart
ment of the farm.
First We went to the cattle pens
where two hundred fine beef steers,
just driven in from the big, wild range
near Gulf Hammock, were being de-
horned, preparatory to pasturing. At
this season of the year, however Mr..
Edwards does not completely deborn,
but only tips" That is the horn is
clipped of fabout where the hollow"
ceases-something like one-third of
the horn being clipped off In the
spring of the year the dehorning is
different, cutting the horn off near
the head. With the conveniences-
most of which are Mr. Edwards origi.
nal ideas put into practical effect
this dehOrning is done rapidly and
without danger of injury to the ami
NAL. From an asserting pen a steer
is started into shoot which narrows
as the animal is hurried to the other
end. At the end he only gets his
head through when a large lever
comes against his neck holding him
fast until the dehOrning is finished,
which requires but a few seconds. BY
this time the steer is attempting to
go backwards; the lever is I0osed and
he backs out until he is able to turn
around He sees an open gate and
goes through it which brings him into
another pen-with the dehorned.
The Dipping Vat.
These cattle pens are complete with
modern dipping vat and weighing
scales. Unlike some Of the vats, Mr.
Edwards has made what seems to be
decided improvement on this one
AS the cattle pass out the first lot
(frOm eight to twelve head turn, weI
will say, to the left, entering a dip
ping pen. This pen has a cementedI
floor with a decline so arranged with
comfortable entrances to turn the fluid
back into the vat. The first dipping
pen full a gate is shifted which closes
the first lot into dip and opens an
other pen to the right for the second
lot. BY the time the second lot areI
dipped the first lot are ready to turn
out. In this manner a large herd oil
cattle can be dipped without the us
ual delays waiting for some to Dip
before the others can be dipped. An
other improvement is the comfortable
passages from the dripping pens.
When not in use the passages to thet
vat are closed and an opening peri
fected to the outside. This keeps
water from running into the vat andl
still at the same time keeps the drip
ping pens washed off clean as thel
rains come and &C. The vat of coursel
is covered.
Ordanirily it requires about twenty
TO thirty minutes for a heard to drip,
from the time they are driven through
the vat to the dripping pen. Mr.. Ed
wards suggests a word OF caution inI
regard to turning out before the cat
tie are thoroughly dripped. The poison
fluid dripping on the grass is liableI
to poison the heard as well as otherI
animals.
With the vat Mr.. Edwards is using
one thousand head can be dipped with
one filling.
A tick infested cow after being Dip
ped will transform into sleek pretty
gloss in two weeks Also when put
on pasturage as Mr.. Edwards does, al
decided improvement can be discerned
in the physical condition of the cow
in two weeks.
Three thousand two hundred acres
comprise the pasturage at present
fenced with good wire and
iron gates and cross fences, etc
Nothing but thoroughbred bulls are
kept in the pastures These arel
crossed with the scrub COW for general
nurO0Sac and N roico urodad boof