ching. Indeed, the ordinary Northern or Western man, who is, of
course, a superficial observer, has gotten the idea from the scrub
cattle and razorback hogs that he saw, that there is something in the
South that is inimical to good live stock. Usually he has decided it is
the climate. Fortunately we know from the work of every Southern
experiment station, as well as of a few good live stock ranches, that
the South can raise just as good cattle and hogs as the North. It isn't
a matter of climate, at all, but purely one of _breed_ and _feed_.

I have spoken thus candidly because I feel that I am a friend among
friends, and because I have very much faith in the industry you
represent. If I were not so optimistic as to the future of the live
stock industry in Florida I should be afraid to lay bare any weak
factors that exist. I believe with Huxley in the wisdom of facing
things as they are, rather than indulging in make believe.

Perhaps it will be most helpful in discussing the forages adapted to
Florida to proceed from the viewpoint of the man starting a cattle
ranch. The basis, of course, of any profitable cattle ranch is permanent
pasturage, the cheapest of all feeds, and, to supplement this, a supply
of feed, which may be hay, ensilage, or in Southern Florida, green feed,
to bridge over the season of short pastures. If one is to produce highly
finished beef, grain feeds and other concentrates must be raised or
purchased.

In discussing pasturage it will be convenient to recognize three types
of lands, namely, piney woods, prairie, and mucks, realizing, of course,
that this is a very rough classification.

Piney Woods Lands.

In the piney woods the natural pasturage is composed mainly of broom
sedge and wire grasses. During the growing season, from spring till late
fall, these grasses furnish fair pasturage, but through the rest of the
year they merely enable animals to exist. What can be done towards
converting these poor native pastures into good permanent pastures?
There are three possibilities in the light of our present knowledge. On
better soils good Bermuda pastures can be developed, or where the lands
are moist, as on most flatwood areas, carpet grass may be used. On the
drier and poorer soils, Natal grass is the only one that has given much
success.

How can Bermuda or carpet grass pasture best be established? The sure
method is to stump your land and plow it, and then plant the Bermuda by
the vegetati