The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1875-02-25
From tie Mankato Reriee.

From tie Mankoto Reriee.
The unproftableness of growing
wheat, at the prices which have pre-
vailed for the past three or four years,
is having the good effects to direct the
attention offarmers 70 asgrester di-
versity in their crops and labors, and
hence we are pleased at movements in
various OF the counties towards the
erection Of cheese factories, and also
= more general dispSdsion TO give
greater attention to stock raising.
To those whose means do not justify
ventures in either Of these directions,
We would suggest raising pork a. a
pursuit attended with larger returns
than possibly any other investment
to be made by farmers of limited
means at this time. Our attention
was called to the matter by listening
to the experience of Captain Williams
Of this city, who has for the past two
years been experimenting in this line
with the most gratifying success.
The captain is not a farmer nor a
granger, but the proprietor of the Cliff
ton House Of this city, and the care of
his hogs at this place has been at
tended with difficulties which would
not probably be met with on a farm.
1t is therefore safe to say that what
he has accomplished is equally with
in the abilities of any farmer in this
country, exercising equalcare and good
Judgment.
Two years ago he purchased three
pigs Of the Poland China breed, at a
total cost Of $45, and from this small.
beginning in that time he has sold
and slaughtered. hogs amounting to-
the handsome aggregate Of 1913, and
to-day has twenty odd head on hand
worth At low estimate $500.
The care and feed for his entire
herd, during the two years, has cost
him IN outlay of $50 paid for feed,
and s26 for carriage in hauling slops
from bis hotel to the pens which, IN
summer, he is required to place on
the outer limits Of the city. Here,
then, is the handsome return Of 81 900
in two years upon the small invest
ment Of $l20-ample to we'll COM
pensate one for the care and atten-
ton necessary to success. But the
captains profits hereafter promise to
be greater than so far realized, for he
now has fifteen or twenty fine, hand
some young brood sows, against two
in the beginning. He has in his pen
a sixteen-months pig, whose present
weight is not less than 500 pounds,
and as handsome specimen Of the
porker as ever witnessed. When
placed in the pen, less than three
months ago, it weighed less than one
hundred and fifty pounds, and has in
creased in weight nearly four pounds
per day.
This breed of hogs is certainly
the most profitable that can can be
raised. They grow rapidly, consume
but comparatively little food, and
furnish but little refuse or waste in
dressing.
The present price Of pork is high,
and affords very large profits, and
even decline Of one-half, which is
not probably to occur, would pay
much larger profits than wheat grow
ing has realized for the past six years.
Minnesota, to-day, does not raise the
pork consumed within her borders,
and this fact, in climate and soil as
thoroughly adapted to the business in
the west, is a condition Of affairs that
should not be permitted to continue.
Certainly until heavy year expor-
tation is made it may be relied upon
as equally remunerative as in Illinois
or Indiana, where land is worth two
or three times what it is in Minneso-
ia. Timber farms are probably best
adapted to this business on account
Of the nutritious food furnished by
the oak and other nut producing
treea, yet it can also be made profit
able upon a prairie farm, as has: been
demonstrated by numerous instances