The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-06
SWINE BREEDING AS AN ART.
Interesting Discussions by Men who
Raise Hogs.

Raise Hogs.
One of the best attended meetings of the
agriculture congress was that of the Indi-
ana Swine Breeders Association which
yesterday held afternoon and evening ses-
sions. About hundred members of the So
ciety We're present, and each was adorned
with d handsome badge bearing a celluloid
representation of the seal of the State
Among the prominent breeders whose pres
ence was noted were James Riley, Thorn
town. A. S. Gilmore, Greensburg; Jasper
Heck Waldron; Adam r. May, Flat Rock
Joseph Cunningham. Loree; j. j. Smith.
Windsor; DR.. W. T.. Hendricks Martins
vile; Aria Brown and l.. L. Norman
Winchester; ]. w. Lagrange, Franklin; G.
II. Harlow, Normandie, and II. l.. NoWlin
Lawrenceburg.
The meeting opened with an address by
John Harcourt, the president of the society
who said that swine breeding was an art
and must be pursued as such. 1t is an art
he declared, to feed and raise good, SYM
metrical herd of hogs. and breeder must
have not only mind and muscle. but must
possess a love for his work. "The art of
swine breeding he said, cannot all be
learned in a day, and the sooner the young
breeder realizes this the better Study to
know what the trade demands and be able
to supply it. A good, growthy hog. with
fancy points, can be as easily raised as a
scrub, and the breeder who is starting with
inferior stock will in the end find it poor
economy. The best is none too good. The
past year has been more encouraging than
the previous one. The health of the hogs
has been better and the prices, while not
so good as q few years back, have been
remunerative."
What improvements Should There Be in
State Fairs for Swine Breeders p was the
subject of a carefully prepared paper by
James Riley. Mr.. Riley thought that the
state fair should be conducted as a practi-
cal school or agriculture, where the science
of breeding and Improvement of all kinds
of live stock should be taught. '"The swine
industry" he said. lis perhaps of more i'm
portance to the farmers of Indiana than
any other branch of agriculture. The hog,
by reason of his rapid growth, brings as
much II not more money to the State than
any other product of the farm AS the Gull
tivated taste of the consumer of butter has
created a great demand for high-grade but
ter, so the cultivated taste of the consumer
of hog product is discriminating in favor
of the higher grade and is furnishing an
increased demand for the best quality of
pork
The speaker called attention to the eff
forts of the secretary of agriculture to-
abroad for hog products The ''s sec re.
of the United States were losing a great
amount of money by not producing kind of
pork adapted to the cultivated taste of the
Engl1Shman, and his zeal had led him to rec
ommend TO the farmers the raising of the
Tamworth breed of hogs. The breeders
should be thankful for the efforts in their
behalf made by the secretary" said he but
do not believe the introduction of the Tam
WorthS is necessary, as there is more in
feeding and caring for swine than there is
in the breed" The speaker thought the
experimental station at Purdue should be
induced to take the same interest in the
swine department as in the dairy depart
ment. He was also in favor of having lee
lures during the fair week on swine cul-
ture.
Among other interesting papers of the SEES
sion was one by Lucien Arbuclxle on the
benefitsl to be derived by breeders at their
annual meeting. James Riley, in a short
talk, demonstrated the advantages to be OBJ
tanned from breeding swine in connection
with dairying. Turner Neal told of the ben
etits of his Berkshire pigs at six, eight and
twelve months. Some merriment was occa-
stoned by Mr.. Neal, who is said to be a new
man In the business, by the statement that
he fed fresh milk, yet warm from the COW,
to his pigs, which brought out a statement
from another breeder that he gave his pigs
a mixture of fresh eggs and sugar Jasper
Heck handled the subject of the improve
ment in swine caused by the score card in
place of the old system of judging and Jo-
Seph Cunningham spoke of his observa tions
1897.
DR.. A w. Biting, of Purdue. was down in
the evening for an address, the subject of
which, according to the printed programme,
was ''Profgacy in Swine" This proved to
be an erroneous statement, as Dr. Biting
spoke on the ''fecundty'' and not the
'.profigacy'' of the animal. 1t is said that
the secretary thought the breeders would
not understand the meaning of the term
"fecundity," and was thus led to coin a new
word, that of "prolticacy," which the typos
failed to grasp and changed to something
that they thought resembled it. After DIR.
Bitings technical discourse, the question
box was opened and the first query which
was found therein was, why do pigs loose
their tails?' Other interesting questions
were also propounded.
The election of officers in the evening re-
suited as follows: President. e. M G.
Hobbs, Salem; secretary Allen Beeler, Lib
erty; vice president, l.. l.. Norman, Win
CHESTER treasurer, A. S. Gilmore, Green's
burg; executive committee, H. C. OLA Rus
siaville, Joe Cunningham, Loree, and T.. II.
Collins; programme committee, %. X. Nor
ris and J.. L. Norman.