8 Bulletin 827, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 
ing has revived during the last few years, and following the eradi- 
cation of the cattle tick there has been a rapid increase in the number 
of cattle. 
Widespread use of the velvet bean for winter forage and feed has 
done more to increase the number of cattle than any other factor 
except tick eradication. In many sections cattle have been increased 
solely for the purpose of utilizing the enormous crops of velvet 
beans, which could be marketed in no other way. 
SIZE AND QUALITY OF CATTLE. 
The native Piney Woods cattle are of very inferior quality, small 
in size, of poor conformation, and are what the feeder would term 
" cold blooded." as they do not respond readily to feed. Although 
these cattle are compact and show a good dressing percentage when 
fattened and slaughtered, the weight is too much forward, and there 
is a small percentage of valuable cuts. Mature cows average about 
100 or 500 pounds, and steers from 3 to 5 years old average from 
600 to 750 pounds. 
The following table shows the average live weight of cattle 
slaughtered at Jacksonville. Fla.. Xew Orleans. La., and East St. 
Louis. 111., during 1918: 
Table 2. — Average weight of cattle slaughtered at three markets in 1918. 
n««nf»of+i Jacksonville, New Orleans. East St. Louis, 
uiassoi cattle. Fla La ^ 
Pounds. rounds. Pounds. 
Canners 462 525 730 
Cutters 462 600 74-5 
Mature steers (i) 7.50 1,000 
i Very few mature native steers slaughtered and no separate record kept . 
Table 2 furnishes an interesting comparison of the weights of 
Florida cattle and those of cattle of the Piney Woods farther west 
with cattle received at East St. Louis, one of the larger markets for 
cattle from a large territory. Canners and cutters at Jacksonville. 
Fla.. were nearly 100 pounds lighter than at Xew Orleans and more 
than 200 pounds lighter than at East St. Louis. Few native steers 
were slaughtered at Jacksonville, but they were at least 300 to 350 
pounds lighter than those at East St. Louis, or 150 pounds lighter 
than at Xew Orleans. 
The greatly increased interest in better cattle is shown by the 
fact that out of 05 head of pure-bred Hereford cattle sold at public 
auction at the Kansas City Royal Show in 1918, IS head were from 
Piney Woods herds. That most of the cattle went to northern breed- 
ing herds, whence the original stock came, is evidence of their merit. 
