The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1893-04-05

| amount TO over Z,UOO,OOO nodu' G'OH
in Denmarck. which has the reputa.
tation of being the best butter and
bacon country inthe world, the hog
shortage is figured at 40 per cent
Treating of the superiority OF foreign
hog products Statistican Dodge has
the following in his last crop report:
tits a most noteworthy fact, well
worth the consideration of American
farmers, that the hog products that
command the highest prices in En-
plish markets come from countries
that are not noted for their produc'
ton of corn, namely: England, Ire
land and Denmark. The quality
and consequent high price
of English, Irish ard Dan
now sell at from 10 to u cents per
pound, is due, first, to the feeding of
the hog, and second to the manner OF
curing. The best quality of bacon is
produced by feeding barley, rye,
wheat and peas, boiled potatoes, skim
med milk, buttermilk and whey. The
hogs should range in weight from $50
TO 200 pounds and should be long and
lean with we'll developed hang, thick,
straight bellies, and the fat ON the
back should not exceed one and one
half inches in thickness. The shout
ders, sides and hams are cured in Que
piece. The over fat cornfed hog does
not make the finest bacon and does
not bring the highest price. By at
tention to these requisites the Danish
farmers have increased their sales Of
bacon in England from 100000
pounds in 1881 to about 200, 100000 in
1892 and the price has steadily in
creased. The bacon hog is best pro-
duced in conjunction with the dairy.
What can be done in Denmark can
be equally we'll and cheaper done i'll
Texas. If we would have better
price for our hogs for bacon purposes,
we must feed them on something
more than corn, but if lard is the
objective point, then We cannot find
more profitable food, when used in
just proportion with roofs and
grasses, washed down with
slop and dairy refuse.
AS guide to the flesh forming value
hog food, the result of experiments
made by the Danish government may
be of interest to hog raisers. 1t was
found that one pound OF gain was
made by four pounds of boiled pota-
toes, six pounds of skinned or butter
milk, eight pounds of boiled turnips
cut small, and from twelve pounds of
whey.
~
1t seems pretty clear that the much
to be desired improvement in public
roads is not to be haslened by legisla-
tive action. 1t looks as if we will have
to worry along in the old ruts for
some time longer, and get only such
relief as may be doled out by our more
or less-chiefly ess-sagacious county
Our road laws are
of this age, and for that
matter of any other age; but IT as
rigidly and wisely enforced as they
might be, and as the law requires
them to be, our roads might be put
and kept in vastly better condition.
Every male person of sound mind be-
tween the age af Is and As years, with
the exception of preachers, postmas-
tiers, doctors and a few other favored
citizens, if living outside of an incor-
porated town, are liable to five days
service on the public roads. If this
labor we've called for and wisely APP
piled under the direction of
competent overseers, there might be
more grumbling on the part Of the
road hando, hut less room for COM
plant about the bad condition of our
roads. If we cannot have any i'm
provement in our road law, in heav-
EMS name, let us have the most posi-
BILE out of the existing one. The
initiative lies with the county COM
Upon them devolves the
duty of seeing that the law is carried
out. They are entitled mainly to any
credit or discredit connected with our
roads. They are generally willing to
accept the former, but will travel
very circuitous routes to avoid the
latter. 1t is an unfortunate fact that
the majority of county commissioners
are only Interested in road improve
ment during the period embraced in
their canvas for office, and have not