The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1894-08-31
WHEAT-FED PORK.

llcagO quote corn and wheat at
2 to So cents with the latter
lade in advance. Corn is scarce
Ind selling at an unusually high
price, which is causing efforts to be
made throughout the Middle West
Howard substituting wheat for corn
rs food for hogs. Some expe i
ments made IN that section are
said to show the farmer return,
at the present market price OF
hogs, of $1.3O per bushel. True
enough, pork is bringing a fancy
price at present, but such wide
margin, as is Indicated by these
experiments, leaves the farmer
plenty of leeway for changes i'll
either commodity.
In Oregon, particularly in the
Willamette valley, where little or
no corn is raised, the experiments
will be watched with considerable
interest. Pork raising, at present
prices. is a very profitable indus
try in this state and it should be
given more attention.
During the 70's the farmers Of
Illinois, Iowa, Kansas and Ne
braska were growing corn on such
an extensive scale that the price
fell in many instances below the
cost of production. During that
period very large proportion of
the crop was sold to Chicago grain
buyers, as at that time compara
lively little feeding was being
done. This depressed condition
of the corn market caused the
farmers of that section to look
into The matter with a view to
discovering remedE.---lAelX
found an oyer production of this
comGodity but also discovered
That a higher price mi 5ht be had
by feeding their corn to stock.
AS result an increased interest
was soon shown in hog and cattle
feeding. Many who had given
the subject of stock raising no
consideration at all, soon had a
few head of hogs or steers about
him which he was feeding for the
market from his corn crop. In
this manner the farmers were en-
abled to get an increased price for
their grain as the fattened stock
were sold to good advantage.
This also reduced the amount of
corn for shipment to Chicago,
thereby creating a market for the
farmers surplus corn at an ad-
vanced price.
At present quotations, wheat
growing in Oregon is Improbable.
Our farmers should let foreigners
feed Europe and turn their atten-
ton toward something that will
furnish some adequate remunera-
tion for the labor and capital they
, are now investing in all industry
that makes them poorer each year.
With pork at present prices,
wheat can be made TO yield from
60 to rs cents per bushel by feed
ing it to the hogs. The results of
experiments made by Prof. Fl ench
at the Agricultural college last
winter on this line are such as to
dispel all doubts from the minds
of those who have thought that
wheat could not be made to pro-
duce pork equal in quality to corn
led pork. The fat on these hogs
was very thick and firm in texture
while the lean meat was light in
color and very juicy, which charac-
teristics have marked all the re-
suits in feeding wheat to pigs thus
far carried OH at the station. In
a bulletin on the subject of pig
feeding Prof. French says, in the
rate of gain produced the results
Will compare favorably with those
obtained from feeding corn.
Twelve pounds of gain in live
weight were produced from each
bushel. The hogs sold for five
cents per pound gross weight
This shows an increase over the
present price of wheat OF. 20 cents
per bushel. One of these pigs on
July 1st weighed 60 pounds and
six months later, 331 pounds,
showing a gain of 271 pounds.
Reckoning wheat at Is cents per
bushel, the cost per pound of gain
in live weight was 3.6 cents OF a
profit on the gain in weight of IA
cents per pound.
The Oregon farmer is now pay
ing the English ship owner 26
cents per bushel for transporting 9
his wheat to Liverpool, and then
turns around and buys his meat in
the East, to the price of which Is
added the cost of freight charges
This is a losing game as every
wheat raiser in the Willamette