Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1919-08-16
THE SOUTH AS A FIELD
FOR BEEF PRODUCTION

There is no section Of the country
that can produce cattle more cheaply
than the South; for the lands are
still cheap. the grazing is good. the
pasture season is long, feed can be pro-
duced at a minimum cost. and inexpen-
sive shelter only is needed for the ami
mails during the winter months. The
native cattle throughout this section
are poor in quality and small in size.
but they are also cheap in price. They
are not worthless. however, and their
cheapness is their redeeIning feature,
for they are good foundation stock
from which may be produced an ex-
cellent herd of beef animals by judi
cious selection and by the continued
use Of pure-bred beef bulls. Cheap
lands combined with cheap COWS for
foundation stock make It possible to
start In the cattle business in the South
with an outlay of far Less capital than
in most other sections Of the country.
Then too. expensive barns are unnec-
essary for beef cattle in the South;
the only shelters needed are open sheds
facing south, under which young cat
tie may take shelter from cold rain or
wind. Mature beef cattle usually need
no other protection than that afforded
by trees. hedges, underbrush, cane
brakes, and other natural shelters.
Corn grows well throughout the
South and is the principal crop grown
for grain for feeding purposes and is
more generally used for ailage than any
other crop. Because of its adaptable
ity to almost all soils, the wide varia-
ton Of time during which it may be
planted, and its Iuxuriant growth in
southern ATTITUDES it is considered the
most important silage crop. On rich
soils yield of 10 tons of silage per
acre is not uncommon. The sorghums
stand near the head of the list as the
most important forage crops, because
of the wide range of territory in which
they may be grown and their adapta-
biIity to widely different climatic con-
ditions. Sweet sorghum is usually
grown where the rainfall is abundant,
while the nonsaccharin or grain sor-
ghums are grown where the rainfall is
less or where semi-arid conditions pre-
vail. as in portions of Texas or Okla.
bona. Milo maize and kaffir each
make a good quality Of silage and vii
produce a good yield Of forage during
a season which is so dry that Indian
corn would make little growth. Sweet
sorghum can be planted later than corr
and often makes a heavier yield. The
cost of growing sorghlm is about the
same. A combination of corn and sill
age which is greatly relished by cattle
The corn may be permitted to mature
slightly more when ensiled with sor
ghum than when put in alone. We've
beans are seldom used for hay, bu
they are raised extensively for forag,
purposes near the Gulf coast They
furnish excellent grazing during thu
winter months. Japanese sugar can,
is also used as a roughage for cattle
in the extreme South. Soy beans ar,
sometimes combined with corn for pro
ducing silage, and such silage has /;
higher feeding value than corn silage
The most important hay crops Of til,
South are alfalfa. johnson grass, COW
peas, soy beans, and in some section
lespedeza, crab grass, bermuda, rex
clover, meliIotus, crimson clover, an,
prairie grass. Excellent yields Of cow
pea hay, soy bean hay. or sorghum cal
be secured after one of the small grail