138 



The Dawn of a New Constructive Era 



Natural Ad- 

 vantages of 

 the South 



them worth $65.00. It should be possible to add several million 

 dollars to the value of our dairy herds every year by the process 

 indicated. In a state like Georgia, for instance, we should be able 

 in large measure to replace the losses which the weevil might in- 

 flict on us through the improvement of our dairy cattle. It would 

 not break us to do it. We have the money and the brains and the 

 intelligence. All we need to do is to study this proposition as 

 seriously as we have studied cotton production. Then, educate our 

 boys, use pure-bred sires and utilize the natural facilities which 

 we possess to attain the end in view. 



Take the case of beef cattle. They are worth $16.20 apiece in 

 Georgia, and in the United States $35.88. In other words, our 

 beef cattle are of a low grade. They dress out about 40 per cent 

 of the live weight. It takes them about a year or so longer to 

 mature than it should. They do not finish out advantageously. 

 When shipped to consuming centers they class as little better than 

 scrubs for the most part. In Montana the average beef animal is 

 worth $53.10, in Nebraska $44.30, and in Illinois $43.30. Montana 

 beef cattle are worth more than three times as much as Georgia 

 beef cattle. This has been brought about through the use of the 

 pure-bred sire, the elimination of the scrub, and a state-wide cam- 

 paign of education. 



The facts presented above apply with equal force to sheep and 

 swine. As a result of the boys' pig club work and other educa- 

 tional forces which have been brought into play, swine in Georgia 

 are now credited with an average value of $9.00 as compared with 

 $11.73 for the United States. In Connecticut they are worth 

 $17.50, or almost twice as much as in Georgia; in New Jersey 

 $17.00, and in Maine $16.60. In this connection it is important to 

 remember that the highest priced animals in the United States in 

 many instances are in states which can not produce half as many 

 food crops as Georgia, which do not raise anything like the same 

 quantity or variety of concentrates, and where the climatic condi- 

 tions are most unfavorable. The people in those states are only 

 able to compete with the South in the production of live stock be- 

 cause of the special study they have made of this business ; because 

 of the greater skill and care with which they feed and handle their 

 animals ; and because of the high premium they have placed on 

 quality which has been attained through the use of pure-bred sires. 

 These lessons should sink deep into our hearts, because they con- 

 stitute the keystone over the arch of success as it applies to ani- 



