Wichita eagle., 1889-04-13
HOGS AND ALFALFA,
A Talk in the Interest Of Farmers In
Southwest Kansas.

Since the erection of the great packing
houses in Wichita throughout the entire
southwest an increased interest is devel-
oped in hog raising. Everything that
tends to facilitate this interest is being
considered by our farmers. 1t is the ex-
perience of every farmer engaged in hog
raising that hogs fed entirely on grain
do not remain healthy and develop so
rapidly as those that are fed partly
on green feed. The editor of
this paper has but recently
been several times reminded by farmers
of our position taken several years ago
that alfalfa is the grass that would event
ually be proftably raised in this valley.
They say that experiments have demon
strated that it will grow ON every va
riety of soil in this valley. 1t grows lux
uriantly alike on the sandy soil of the
bottom lands and on the more compact
soil of the uplands.
Incidents have been given in Old Mex
leo where this grass has been growing
and pastured with stock and moved for
hay for nearly one hundred years. There
is no doubt that ground thoroughly set
with this grass in this valley will last for
a lifetime. In fact the only way that it
can be killed out is by constant pastur-
ing by sheep. That it is valuable for
feeding hogs is fact well established
in Kansas and Colorado. So well
satifed is our old Jriend, w. I. Jewett,
in his experience with alfalfa that he
now says he wishes his entire farm was
set in that grass. Two years ago Mr..
Jewett planted three acres Of alfalfa, and
this spring he put out twenty acres
more. He says if he had commenced to
raise this grass ten or twelve years ago
he might have made fortune raising
hogs. Mr.. Jewett tells that last fall
about fifty OF his young hogs became
affected with cholera and that he turned
them into an alfalfa lot and three of
them died, but the rest all became
healthy and are now as fine hogs as he
ever saw, weighing about 800 pounds.
Mr.. Jewett says he will quit
raising cattle and turn his
attention entirely to hogs. 1t is our
opinion that in the near future every
farmer in southwestern Kansas will have |
his field of alfalfa, and that hogs will be
raised cheaper than anywhere in
America.
We saw statement few days ago |
made by farmer, that last summer he
grazed ten hogs on three acre lot of |
alfalfa for four mouths, and that the ten
hogs increased in weight one thousand |
pounds. The hogs were not fed any
grain. One thousand pounds of pork is
as much as can be produced by one hun
bred bushels of corn under the most
favorable conditions. Then in this case
the meat producing capacity of one acre
Of alfalfa was equal to thirty-three
and one-third bushels of corn. With
twenty acres of alfalfa on every farm in
southern Kansas from the Flint Hills to
The west line of the state, and every acre
equal to thlrty-three and one-third bush
els of corn in the production of pork,
would make this valley famous as a
pork producing country.
ho iAuillDCi diiA uudllIy VI OuI uOSS
are already attracting attention, but
who can compute the fabulous wealth
hat will come our people when the con-
litions enumerated Shall have been
aiken advantage of.
There are many branches of farming
hat promises success in southern Kan
jas, but enquiry develops the fact that
he most prosperous farmers are
hose engaged in hog raising.
A banker in Sumner county
4 few weeks ago remarked that every
farmer in that county who was today in
Easy circumstances and kept bank &C
count was engaged in hog raising.
We believe this industry in this valley
S only now in its infancy. and the men
who are establishing great packing
houses in this city are doing SO with a
yiew to the great possibilities of this val
ey in the matter of stock raising. TAX
ng into consideration our prospects for :
IN enormous crop Of wheat, our yearly /
crops OF hogs and our sor-
shum and salt, we should say the future
If all southern Kansas at this time looks
to say the least. ,