The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-07-29

Source of Supply for the tniteH
Kingdom - superiority OF the
Canadian Product and Reasons
Therefor-EguaI Results Can lie
Achieved in Minnesota.
A recent report of the apartment of agri-
culture says:
To supply the present demand for the B l.
ish market requires the Importation Of more
than $4,000 000 rounds OF c n yer. / MS
bacon Is procured almost en- Trey from three
eountries-thc United States, nm ia ana
Canada. Although the Unit. d eS IS SUI
the chief source OF supply, ire quantity p r
chased from his country IS decidedly SINAI e:
than il was five or six years ago. On tn
other hand. the British have gr- "a c'ei SGD
their importatoas Of Dan4sh and C4n@d al
bacon. An inquiry mo the rea;oa ior tni'
change in the course of trade ci closes III
fac. that our bacon = MT 81 well sda tel
to the requirements of the British ma ke- as
is tina; imported from Denmark AID Canaca
The article produced in the Uai Ell Sat Is
chiefly corn-fed bacon, and, although ie-
gagded with high faN or in our own m .rAe s.
it carries altogether to much fat o suit n
taste of the Eng sh consumer. De-; + d
Canada furnish much leaner Rr9 CT pa
con Their produces have studied the pc
culiar wants of the BIi ish mark, and W II
such success that thew are ady m kng
important inroads upon our trade TIE ID n
ish ard canadian brands Ct baco on are re
gardCd in Great Britain as Ing 50 ia su-
perior to ours that the price paid for thsm
is several cents a pound hgh=r. AS we nj
annual to the British market more ina
SO0C0 0l0 pounds of this product tas IcsS
Of only few cents in tFe i p uLd
makes an enormous difference II tn prot
of the trade. II will theref re b to the
interest Of cur produce RS, in proFid ng bacon
for the British trade to give m re te'-
ton to the peculiar wants of M peopl 10
be supplied. fer in this way only can pr NJ
able deVe lopment of our expert Blu IN SIS D.
accompl shed.
There is an apparent oSsica on III part
of some of cur Northwes EN- farmers in
mater of turning attention to the lnge:
production OF a hog suitable for tacon. This
is, no doubt, due to the fact thai, Germ b.
ing plentiful in sections wherce the bulk
of the hog supply emanatss, AID it ing
less troublesome TO furnish tn food than
any other, farmers prefer to go on proiu ing
fat hogs. which means the lard hog, as
against the bacon hog. In no tn IN lati ules,
however. where corn is less abundant taaa
in Southern Minnesota Iowa and the Ike,
hogs can be profitably cu3tiva, ed with view
to supplying the bacon market, just as is
done in Canada
The first point in the way OF production is
to secure the proper breed of hogs which
may be grown for purely bacon us-s, al
over this point there is considerable DISPUTE
constantly IN progress. There is 10 doubt
that Canadian experience is a better guide
for the Minnesota or Northwestern farmer
generally, than any one of the edito1il dis
putants who assume to treat of the sub;e t.
The following Letter from j. A. MACEDONIA d,
OF Prince Edward Island, Canada, 20 Hoa d
Dairyman, would therefore seem to be an in
teligent view of the subject:
1Ee bacon hog is a new candidate for pub
nc favor IN some parts Of the American con-
unent, and it is to be regretted that many
OF the western hog raiSarS do tall ind W.,
70 him. The bacon hog is synonymous with
the Jersey, Guernsey and Holstefn, in cows,
the trotter, in horses, the Merino in sheen
the Leshorn, il hens and, like these, is Of
highly nervous organization.
TIE idea is to get an animal with little fat
and much red meat, and nerve power To
secure this animal, the Imperial Yorkshire
and the TamwOrth, particularly the latter,
with angular forms, like that of the dairy
COW, and the race horse, must be secured in
eontIad- stinction to the square built, bro d.
backed and blocky Poland China, Berkshire
and other breeds of the "beefy'' ham and
shoulder, Hardy" hogs. The law of milk
giving, red Matchmaking and maternity. is
precisely the same in the bacon hog, as in
the bovine dairy mother. The bacon hog
prominent backbone, and well developed YER
te5rae-tte indication of large spinal mar
row, and strong nerve force. The bacon h.
mas a slightly prominent pelvic arch, show
ing her strong material power, and the milk
giving function is shown by her udder of
long abdominal attachment, from front to
with a strong, wedge-shaped digestive carac-
ity, and her constitut onal vigor is not only
shown by Ter large heart girth but by her
strong, naval development. These latter
characteristics are quite pronounced in the
Tamworth. The bacon hog is a hairy ami
nal; this is, shown by her long. lean and
smallish head, and her light, prominelt, pro-
truding eye. The bacon hog, by reason of
her highly nervous organism, is as suscepti-
bic to kind or abusive treatment, as is the
gentle, kttenish Jersey.
The bacon SOW has the milk-giving func-
ton in a most extraordinary degree. When
not celebrating milk for her litter, she ell b.
CRATES red meat bacon. The bacon al
ways impresses one with femninity-with
motherhood. You never mistake the bacon
SOW Ter a barrow. Hers is the great capac-
ity to give milk, 10 bear offspring, and fiftes n
pigs is not an unusual litter for the bacon
sow.
AS 'ated above, in corn sections farmers
do not take kindly to the idea of producing
bacon hogs, Notwithstanding tie fact that
Secretary Wilson, himself from Iowa. has
been active since he entered the department
OF agriculture in urging the Importance of the
industry. The calm is made that it pays
better to go on raising the lard hog and that
there viii be a sufficient number Of acct
den:ally lean hogs to supply the market for
bacon. On this point an exchange, qouting
from an authority on the subject, says:
Not long ago on certain day hogs were
selling in Chicago at S4.10@4.20 and on the
same day Canadian hogs were selling in To-
roHto, Canada, for $5.5OQ6 per 100 lbs. The
hogs on both markets were bought at the
price paid because of export demand that
ca for pork to feed European countries.
The difference in price was not because of
a ference in transportation charges nor for
any other reason except that the Canadian
hogs were Of better quality for the market
the were intended for.
We have just as good hogs here as they
have in Canada, but we insist on feeding
them corn exclusively and always In Cam
ada they feed peas which we can grow; bar
ley, cats and rye, all Of which We can grow
IS wei as Trey. The Canadian farmer feeds
turnips, beets, bran. skim milk and a little
corn
They use Tamworth, Yorkshire and Rerk-
shire hogs principally fer the production of
bacon and we have these breeds in this
country in their greatest perfection
If we would grow less acres of corn and
more OF the smaller grains we could produce
bacon as good went out of Canada
ard could get as good price for it, and make
more money than we do now.
It will thus be seen that price counts in
the matter of quality for the purpose de-
sired. There is no doubt that farmers in
sections tributary to the St. Paul market
might probably experiment in this industry.
inasmuch as all that is necessary in the way
OF feed to produce the quality desirable Is
available here as we'll as in Canada.
THE BACON HOG.
With the shifting of the demand In or. nj
pork centers from the heavy to the light boo |
the breeds which produce the greatest an,ount
of bacon were brought prominently IN tho
front While the hogs quoted as light in