Cut-Over Pine Lands in the South. 19 
Serious mistakes have been made by lumbermen who went into 
the cattle business on a scale out of proportion to their experience 
and knowledge of conditions. The most serious blunder has been 
to purchase large numbers of cattle and turn them loose without 
any provision for care or winter feed. Such mistakes have been 
costly and discouraging. In a great many cases lumbermen have 
been discouraged from entering the cattle business or have declared 
the business unprofitable because dividends are not quickly real- 
ized. In the production of beef cattle a large part of the profits 
are to be expected from the increase in the herd, and from 2 to 4 
years are necessary to produce an animal for market. 
As a general rule, cattle operations should begin on a small scale 
and be increased gradually, as the owner gains experience and is 
able to work out definite plans for the profitable enlargement of 
the business. 
IMPROVEMENT OF CATTLE. 
Considerable effort has been made to find a breed of cattle better 
suited to this region than the recognized beef breeds and larger than 
the native cattle. Cattle have been imported from tropical countries 
to cross on the native cattle or to breed pure. Undomesticated graz- 
ing animals have also been tried. Such experiments have naturally 
been disappointing because the object in view was to get a breed 
better adapted to the unfavorable conditions rather than to improve 
conditions themselves. It is not reasonable to expect satisfaction 
with any breed of cattle when half starved and covered with ticks. 
With the eradication of the ticks and the production of feed no other 
cattle will be better adapted for this region than the principal beef 
breeds which we already have. 
The choice of a breed for this region is a matter for the individual 
owner to decide after his own conditions are taken into consideration. 
The " rustling " ability and hardiness of" a breed usually is an im- 
portant consideration, but the individual owner, if possible, should 
select the breed of cattle most generally grown in his community. 
The solution of the problem lies in fitting conditions to the cattle 
and not the cattle to conditions. 
The foundation herd should be of native cows whenever possible. 
These are small and of inferior quality, but are also cheap. With 
the continued use of a pure-bred bull and judicious selection a valua- 
ble herd may be quickly built up. Quicker results may be obtained 
by purchasing grade cows at the beginning, but it is probable that 
the cheap native cows already acclimated and accustomed to the 
ranges will be better as a business proposition than cows brought in 
from other regions. Prospects for success in the Piney Woods are 
