STEER-FEEDING. 



BY JOHN M. SCOTT. 



CATTLE-FEEDING IN THE SOUTH. 



With the present development of agriculture in the South, few sub- 

 jects have received more attention from public men than the feeding of 

 animals for meat products. The idea is that the South should not only 

 supply its own meats, but also that Southern farmers should feed out 

 as much as possible of the cottonseed meal and other rich protein 

 feeds produced here, which are now shipped away to other States, and 

 by this means also, to a large extent, replace commercial fertilizers with 

 barnyard manure. The fertility of the land would be increased by the 

 addition of the manure produced by feeding protein feeds, and also by 

 the growing of legumes, such as velvet beans, cowpeas and beggar- 

 weed all of which are excellent feeds to use in the production of 

 meat. 



CATTLE-FEEDING IN FLORIDA. 



Cattle-feeding as an industry is in its infancy in Florida. While 

 many farmers own a few cattle, and a few farmers own large herds, 

 yet fattening for the market has received but little attention. But like 

 some other agricultural undertakings, cattle-feeding has seldom been 

 thoroughly tried, and few men have given to the industry serious atten- 

 tion or protracted effort. From results obtained on the Station farm 

 we are led to believe that this industry will become one of no small im- 

 portance. 



With the clearing of new lands, and the further introduction of im- 

 proved farm machinery and up-to-date methods of handling and caring 

 for the various farm crops, a considerable area will be added to that 

 already in cultivation. Feeds of all kinds will become in consequence 

 more plentiful, and it follows that a strong and increasing demand 

 will be felt for ways and means of disposing of these products. The 

 custom of growing only one money crop cotton is fast being re- 

 placed by the better practice of alternating numerous other crops, such 

 as corn, velvet beans, sweet potatoes and forage crops, which are ex- 

 cellent feed for all classes of live stock. Probably no better way can 

 be suggested for marketing farm products than to feed them to live 

 stock on the farm. When any feedstuff that is rich in ammonia 

 (ammonia in feedstuffs corresponds to protein) is fed to animals, 

 only a part of the ammonia is retained in the animal body ; hence the 

 manure produced is rich in ammonia. It should be remembered that 

 ammonia is the most costly of the fertilizing elements that we have to 

 buy. Therefore if we can produce it on^the farm and at the same time 

 grow a good crop of feed, it serves us a double purpose ; and this can 

 be done by growing leguminous crops and feeding them to live stock 

 on the farm. 



NEED OF MORE BEEF AND BETTER CATTLE. 



Florida does not produce enough meat to supply perhaps more than 

 a quarter of what it consumes, but depends upon the Northern States 



