Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1886-07-17
PORK PRODUCTION.
How II Can he Made Profitable Under En-
isting Adverse Circumstances.

How II Can Re Made Profitable Under EA-
listing Adverse circumstances.
During the past few years there has
been very little profit in raising hogs
in most parts of the country. The eN-
clusion of our hog products from sew
cral European countries has had the
effects of bringing down prices at home.
The periodic scares about trlchinn
have caused many cautious persons to
abandon the use Of pork. No pork
products except ham, lard and fancy
sausage are any longer favorite articles
of food among the more wealthy classes
in large towns. They demand fine
beef, spring lamb, game and poultry.
The greatest Encouragement, however
has been the prevalence of the swine
plague. ordinarily known as the hog
cholera. This disease has produced
larger losses in a much shorter time
than any malady that has appeared
among any kind of domec..catcd ami
mails in this country. Thus far but
little light has been thrown on the
origin of the disease and the manner in
which it is spread. Many theories
have been ~propounded, but III the opin-
ion of most persons none of them have
accounted for the phenomena that have
been presented. 1t is certain that
very few are competent to treat the
disease or to prevent its spreading
through a herd or from one farm to an
other.
Still, with all the discouragemcnts
that attend it, pork production will
probably always continue to be n of
the leading farm industries in this
country. This is the greatest pork
producing country in the world, and
most likely it will always remain so.
The climate and the products OF the
soil are admirably suited to the produce
ton of pork. Corn can be produced
cheaper here than in any foreign coun-
try. aud corn is the best food to use in
fattening hogs. Glover, rye, apples
and potatoes are also produced in great
abundance, and these are all very valu-
able for feeding TO hogs in any stage of
their growth. This is a great milk
producing country, and whey, skinned
and sour milk can be fed to hogs to
better advantage than to other ami
mails. The climate is very favorable to
hogs. The heat in any part of the
country is rarely so great as to injure
them. With cheap protection they
can be kept with profit in the most
northern tier of States and Territories.
In most parts of the country they re-
quirc no shelter from the time they are
dropped till they are ready for the
market. Buildings for the protection
Of hogs are unknown on many farms
that are chiefly devoted to the produce
ton of pork.
Still, with all these advantages many
farmers in those portions Of the country
where the largest crops OF clover and
corn are raised are giving up keeping
hogs on an extensive scale. They
think that the profits are too small for
the large risks involved. They will
continue to raise pork for their own
use, but will raise but few hogs for the
market. Most likely wealthy farmers
will devote more attention TO horses
and cattle and thereby give farmers
who have smaller means a better
chance to make money by keeping
hogs. Apparently the swine disease is
more frequent as well as more likely to
prove fatal on the flat prairicS, where
very large crops of corn are raised,
than on rolling and high land. The
risks on account of swine plague are
much greater where all the land is en-
braced in improved farms than in parts
of the country that are sparseIy set
tied. The disease appears to be car
ried from one farm TO those near to it,
and often carries off nearly all the
hogs kept in a town that is thickly set
tied. On isolated farms there is much
less danger from infection, as one lot
of hogs is not likely to come in contact
with another,
The risks attending the keeping of
hogs may be greatly reduced by hasten
inc their growth as fast as possible.
The longer a hog is kept the more
likely it is to contract the swine plague
and die. There is as great advantage
in having hogs mature early as in hay
ing cattle ready to turn oil while they
are still young. As a rule, there is
little profit in keeping hogs over the
winter unless they are designed for
brcedingpurposcs. Pigsdropped early
in the spring can be made to weigh
two hundred pounds before very cold
weather occurs. For many years pack
ers have shown Il preference for hogs
of moderate size. Country butchers
like wcll-fattcned hogs that will weigh
when dressed about two hundred
pounds. They are better adapted to
the retail trade than very large
hogs. They are also better for use in
the family. 1t is difficult to cure the
meat Of very heavy hogs, so that it
will be certain to keep through the
summer. When the meat is to bt
smoked, light hogs are preferable to
very heavy ones. Few families wish
to boil a ham that weighs over twelve
pounds, while thin sides make thu
finest breakfast bacon Chicago Times