Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-11-07

Are you going to feed any cattle
this winter? If so, what kind Of
feed are you going to use And
what kind of cattle are you going
to feed?
Those questions have been asked
| persistently, one feeder of another
for the past several months wher-
ever cattle are commonly fed in the
United States. Now the time has
arrived for filling the feeding lots
and the question is more insistent
than ever. -e.e~s i r5s
1t used to be the common prac-
tice, when corn was high in price
to feed more roughage. If corn was
low, the feeder could afford to feed
it in larger quantities over a longer
period. If he was going to feed
corn in considerable quantities over
a long period, he wis disposed to
buy high-class cattle. If corn was
high and the feeder felt that he had
to use a larger proportion of rough
age, he was disposed to buy palmer.
thinner cattle.
But just now all the old rules are
upset. Feeders, in common with
everybody else, are living in a new
world-just as truly a new world
as if the things seen by the zealot
of Patmos had come to pass. Corn
is -unprecedentedly high COM
pared to prewar prices. The old
rule would be Feed more rough
stuff" But roughage also is high
-unprecedently so. What is to be
done about it?
The United States department of
agriculture agrees with the express
sion of many experienced feeders,
that, largely, it is a matter of each
mans guessing for himself. Still
the department insists that the &C
cumu1ated knowledge about cattle
feeding is worth a great deal and
that it can be applied even under
the present disturbed conditions by
practically every feeder. The neces-
stiles of the situation will vary with
different localities and with differ
ent individuals in the same locality.
1t is a time, the department experts
believe, when no man should fail to
avail himself of the help of his
county agent and experienced feed
ers in determining what is best to
do under particular conditions.
Some of the foundation facts Of
feeding, of course, are unchanged. 1t
is still true, as it always has been,
that the soil fertility of grain farm
is almost certain to be depleted I'M
less a considerable part of the crop
is fed to live stock and the fertility
value returned to the fields. Feed
ing, after all, is ordinarily a part Of
a balanced agriculture, and it's profits
or losses can not be exactly figured
on the basis of money received for
finished cattle-though every man,
of course, should take all precau-
tions reasonably possible to put the
balance on the right side of the
ledger for the single operation.
The new elements are variously
applicable to different sections and
to different individuals. At least
one of them, however, is pretty gen
eral. The feeding period will have
to be shorter than used to be con-
sidered desirable. The maximum
period that most feeders can con-
template this year is said to be $50
days but preferably considerably
less. That means, necessarily, that
most feeders can not afford to feed
to a finish" 1t has been realized
for a long time that every pound of
weight put on at the end of a fin
ishing period costs more than a
pound put on earlier in the process
When every pound put on at any
stage of the process is costing, as
the feeder feels, too much, the old
six and eight months period of feed
| ing is in the discard. 1t may come
into play again on a new deal, but
not while the cards are distributed
as they are at present.
1t used to be standard advice that
only animals Of good quality should
be used, as they sell for a higher
price and dress higher percentage
| of beef.
The department experts still say
that the average feeder is taking
less chance on d good steer than or
a palmer one, but there are many
feeders, especially the inexperienced
whom they advise to use the palmer
kind. 1t just about Sits down tc