American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-12-06
The Price of POrk...FarmerS as Pack
erS.

"
ers having the care of stock, in the process
of fattening, are more or less perpleXed
about the difficulties of so arranging and
planning that they may have ii ready for
market ct a time when it will pay them
the best to sell. They want to get results
sufficiently remunerative to return a small
profit above the actual cost of production.
1t seems that, under the present circum-
stances, the bulk of the hogs of the West
must be thrown upon the market during
the months of December and January, re
gardless of the consequence. The corn
crop is short; in many localities last
years abundance is replaced by scarcity !;
money is scarce, and pork is ruinously
low at present. Though the pork product
will all be needed during the coming
year, we fear that but few of our farmers
will realize proper price for their pork.
Large receipts are made the preteXt for a
drop in prices. Quotations are raised at
intervals, as a bait to draw the needed
supply from the rural districts. The price
of pork will doubtless be better than at
present, before the season closes; but will
the maximum price be realized before the
producer must relinquish his claim upon
it?
The animal products are the most valu-
able sources of income TO the Western
farmer. Is it not time that he had some
voice as to the price at which il shall go
into the hands of packers, spectators and
middlemen?
The cooperative movement among the
farmers of the West has become great
fact In period of time much shorter
than the most enthusiastic or sanguine
| reformer could have expected But the
results of the movement have as yet prin-
cipally been confined to demonstrations
of the numerical strength of the farmers.
In some instances, however, real work
has been accomplished. For instance,
| with respect to pork and the price of it,
we notice that the Dubuque County Uowa)
Patrons seriously contemplate packing
their own pork. 1t is.-a step in the
right direction Cannot Clubs and
Oranges, in many localities, combine
and establish packing houses? By doing
this they would not only be adding an
| other industry to their neighborhoods,
but would also be creating a competition
against such as the notorious pork-ring OF
last year could not have commended.
The buildings for packing purposes
might be of the toughest and cheapest
construction. Much of the work is such
as ordinary farm hands could easily pick
up. The cutting and trimming require skill
and nicely, but competent persons to per-
form these operations are as readily hire
able by a Grange or Club as by a pork
packer. The only difficulty we see is, in
distri C Is where manure IS of no value,
the di sposal Of the refuse which, in a
large packing establishment, is utilized
by fertiliZes manufacturing companies.
This, however, is a matter of detail which
could be readily provided for.
by the establishment of cooperative
packing establishments, control could be
exerted over the price of pork, except as
far as l. is influenced by the legitimate
law of supply and demand The saving
to say nothing about the shrinkage in
stock shipped long distances.
To those farmers who, after due consid-
Grafton OF the local circumstances and the
price obtainable, determine to hold on to
their hogs till more favorable time, a
few words may be useful. 1t is a mis-
| taken policy to feed hogs on corn only,
when keeping them in u standing condi-
| ton. Corn is principally carbonaceous,
that is, fat-fprming. Hogs fed on corn
alone, on reaching a certain stage of fat
ness, will put on no more fat. When it is
desirable to delay the process of putting
on fat, with belief that a late market
will be the best the hogs should have nj
trogenous food, or that containing a large
proportion of the phosphatcs, such as
threshed oats, or food containing a pOr-
ton of wheat-bran, both of which are
bone and fiesh-formers; the growth will
then be continuous and unchecked.
1t is better to mix the diet sufficiently
to develope every part of the animal; this
also induces a healthy condition. In this
way the fattening process may be con
tinued much longer than when the hogs
are fed on corn Western Rurat.