Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1918-10-11
NOxubee County Farm Notes
No Time to ouit

caIIy TO an END, On our daily rounds
we meet men who heard somebody say
who had read it in the head lines of a
\ paper that "The German line was
broken aud the Kaiser has asked for
peace" We have heard asked, Has
Hindenburg surrendered" "Will they
go on with the new loan? How
soon will it be before the boys get
back?"
A German Trick.
1t is strange how an insincere call for
German peace can echo with such
thoughts from our folks who are bear
ing the burdens of war. Yet there are
millions to spend, blood to be shed, work
of the most menial kind to be done be-
fore this war is done for. Let US set
ourselves to the task.
Not Tnonsh Vstch.
W. are sorry to disappoint some far
mers who have ordered vetch and we
find it impossible to supply their needs.
We got all the vetch from the Holly
Springs Station and all the A. & M.
College could furnish. We supplied
our farmers who had spoken for it as
they came for seed. For the others
we can get none. However, we can
direct few purchases for oats and
wheat and some rye. We are still hold
ing some wheat for parties who have
not needed it as yet. We ask you to
come for it soon.
Lay In Machinery.
We have completed a survey Of agri-
cultural workers of the county by draft
classes for the District Board. The
acute shortage in the county 10 in men
who would fall in class two or skilled
form, labor. The unskilled farm laborer
is at public work or put in class one
is now at war. There is no hope for
the condition to be remedied at once.
Other sections met labor shortage
early in 1900. They met it with ma
chinery. The south can do the same to
large extent.
Farmers now have some money.
There ia some machinery they should
buy. Many who are using one.horse
breaking plows can use two-horse plows
and save the labor Of one man. Larger
plows will hreak deeper. Also two
horse cultiySting machinery can be.
used az well % not. Many farmers who
use two-horse plows might employ gang
plows. Personally, we have seen gang
plows come into universal use within
five years due to labor conditions. At
the same time there are better seed
bed implements-H rollers,
drags that will save labor and make
better crops.
Labor Crops.
When thinking on labor conditions
we must keep the labor requirements
of crops in mind. Cotton, possibly re-
quires more labor than any other crops
grown on an extensive scale. The ar
gument is bis cotton, hislabor. How
ever we feel to maintain the production
of cotton would be to attemp: to in
crease the yield per acre as the acreage
is decreased. Corn requires less labor,
oats less, and nay crops still less and
pasture crops least of all. A great
deol of land idle because Of labor can be
cut for hay or pastured for the present.
Baby Beef and Cattle Pdces.
Farmers in the soutq often wonder
why they get only to cents for their
cattle when cattle is quoted Is to 10
cents on some markets. First, strictly
grass fed cattle, except for small
strip of country in the limestone section
of Kentucky, Virginia and West Vir-
ginia, shrink heavily and do not pro-
duce firm and do not dress out high
per cent of carcass.
The south is breeding up its live stock
by great strides, but still there is much
inferior stock to be sold out as yet.
Every pure bred animal bred into the
south is worth thousands for the future
of the country.
We have looked at many punches of
calves, in thin condition, with dairy or
mongrel breeding and stunted to ascer-
tain the prospects for sale as baby beef
at a fancy price. The term is rather
misleading. Baby beef is marketed
around eighteen months Of age. 1t re-
quirss strictly beef breeding Of rather
well bred animals. Generally Angus
or Hereford calves are Used because of
quick maturity. Baby beef feeders
generally raise their owg calves or buy
them from well bred herds. 1t is desir-
able that the calf does not lose his milk
fat. This requires judicious care and
feeding. The animal is made to weigh
from 1000 to 1900 pounds in eighteen
months. This requires an abundance OF
good feed as grass with clovers. alfalfa
hay, silage. cotton seed meal and corn
to seed in the ear. and possibly some
molasses feed to finish out with. There
! are farmers in Noxubee county who
might begin to raise and feed this class
: of stock. Baby beef is a new thing in
the south. but before long we will see
ahe trick successflllv turned here in