The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-05-11
CATTLE OWNERS
!. LOSE $4,000 HEAD
IN YEARS TIME
Disease And Exposure
Take Heavy Toll OF
States Live Stock
SPRING FLOWING
SLIGHTLY DELAYED
Cotton Chopping Finds
Supply OF Farm Labor
Is Short

<AO-N L. hAas, ApNti w.
Loss by disease and exposure Of $4,000
cattle in Alabama during the past year
Is noted in the crop report issued today
by r. w. Gist, agricultural statistician.
The death rate among cattle from sex
posture or in other words, starvation,
was 80 per thousand, as compared with
on average Of %, according to Mr..
Gists' figures.
Following is Mr.. Gists' statment as
10 cattle losses and crop conditions:
THE feature Of May crop report for
Alabama is the loss by disease and ex-
posture Of about $1,000 cattle during
the past year. This loss reaches d
money value Of about $500 600 in round
figures, and is the heaviest loss of cat
tie ever experienced in the state, at
least, in recent years The death rate
from disease was 81 per thousand, COM
pared with 20 last year and an average
Of %. The death rate from exposure
was 80 per thousand, compared with 81
last year and an average OF a. "Ex-
posureY in this latitude Is merely a po-
lite name for starvation. the weather
cattle which are in fair condition, even
from ordinary feeding, care and pro-
lection. The past winter was un-
usually severe, but not cold enough to
have caused such a death rate among
welI-fed cattle. Long practice in car
rying cattle over winter with little Or
no feed except what they gather from
pasturage caught the owners this time
unprepared, and the carelessness con-
seduent on long habit resulted in a
loss quite severe from both an economic
and money standpoint.
Heavy In Black Belt
The loss was heaviest from both
disease and exposure in the black belt
counties and the southwestern section,
with few scattering counties in other
sections sustaining considerable loss.
In the western portion of the black
belt the loss from disease was 60 per
thousand and from the exposure 11Ss
in the eastern position 0f the black
from exposure lit; in tile southwest
section from disease "A, aud from ex-
posture 106. Other counties III which
The loss from both causes combined was
more. than 100 per thousand were /:
Bib. Bullock, Houston, and Lee. II
IS quite singular that the sections in
which losses were heaviest, at least,
in the black belt are the sections In
which hay is produced in commercial
volume In these counties reports in.
dictate that. enough hay remained on the
farms on May 1 to have prevented the
heavy losses had it been fed to cattle
during the period Of severe weather.
The black belt counties produced last
year quite three million dollars worth
OF hay and had 100000 head Of cattle
on the first Of January, They lost in
the neighborhood of $4,000 head of cat
tie during the year ending May /, most
at which died as the result Of severe
weather, combined with, an absence Of
winter feeding.
Lack OF Feeding
ut is quite certain that the increased
mortality from disease was superfn-
.duced BY the same lack of feeding,
disease finding them in poor condition
to withstand its rayages. The facts
constitute severe indictment Of care
lessness and improvidence on the part
Of cattle owners. With no marked OUT
breaks of disease, such loss must in the
final analysis be charged to starvation,
and starvation with tons of hay in the
rack or OH nearby farms leaves no valid
excuse, 1t may not be the province of
the statistician to offer remedies, but
results and causes are known together.
The facts in this case have been ex-
tremely. costly and ought to teach a
valuable lesson.
THE mortality Of horses and mules
was just about the average and a shade
less than last year, being 20 per
thousand.
'sThe mortality of hogs was some
heavier than last year, but notably less
than the average, the death rate be-
ing A per thousand against SO last
year and an average of 62 for the past
five years.
4aThe healthfuI conditions OF livestock
on May was for horses and mules SO,
for cattle 50, and for hogs 30, cattle
even showing d quick response from
heavy death rate on the output Of
grazing range.
.The percentage of last years hay
crop remaining on Alabama farms on
May / was 20, the volume amounting to
$4,000 tons.
Crop Conditions
Spring blowing and planting are
slightly ahead Of last year, but a bit
behind the average in this state. Plow-
ing was 20 completed and planting 81
accomplished.
The condition of crops on May Is
4 ell