IMPOETANCE OF LIVE STOCK 213 



" Substitution of corn for cotton in the southern 

 states, and the consequent development of cattle 

 and hog production." 



Of course it is up to the farmer to produce more 

 meat, but he will never do it unless he can be 

 shown that there is money in the proposition. 

 The way the average farm has been managed as 

 to the production of feeds has led away from, 

 rather than to, stock upon our farms, for the pro- 

 duction of crops upon these farms has been such 

 that it was necessary that the average farmer 

 should sell all his grain and feed stuff grown, other 

 than what was necessary to feed his stock neces- 

 sary to conduct farm operations, in order that he 

 might live. The average farmer did not have a 

 large acreage of native grasses, and if he did, they 

 would not be available at all seasons on account 

 of drouth, and those grown, like alfalfa, that pro- 

 duced their several crops each season, or those 

 other grasses that produced enormous crops, were 

 not grown. Dependence was put upon timothy 

 and clover, which never, except under the most 

 favorable conditions of weather and soil fertility, ' 

 produced in abundance. The silo was unknown 

 and so the average farm as a meat producer has 

 been of little consequence, and to make it a pro- 

 ducer now, an entire change in the methods of 

 farming must be put into effect upon these farms. 



The question of a better meat supply will never 

 be solved upon the average farm so long as the 

 average farm will not grow more than enough 

 clover, timothy, or grass to support one steer to 

 the acre. But it will be solved when the owner 

 of our average farms begins to grow such forage 



