The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1898-06-11
FARMER AND PLANTER.
THE GREAT AMERICAN HOG.
In Demand In the Various Mar
kets of the World.

kets of the World.
Paper read by II. F. Work before the Ken
lucky Swine Breeders association ct Eliza
bethtown. April IL, 1898
This subject is of vast import to every
swine-raiser and is receiving the direct
attention of every live stock journal in
the land. AS l was the first writer in
the United States to attack the excess
lively fat hog as not conforming to the
consumer in the evolutions of trade and
methods of preparing the product, and
have subsequently contributed many
articles to the press on the subject,
what may say tonight may be re-
garded as summary of former express
sions.
For number of years hogs of ex-
cessive fat, Astounding in lard and
''prime mess topped the market. The
profits in swine growing while cotton
ruled king of the southland and during
the war of the rebellion were so great
that the hogs were worked for all that
was in them, and every effort was di-
rected toward producing excessively
fat animals of immense size. But now
the customs have changed. Sow
belly" has been superseded in the
armies of the world by canned meats,
and bacon and prime mess" have
been almost entirely discarded the
world over Yea, even the differences
in the price of bacon in the Euro
pcan market have been constant for
many years. Owing to the extreme
fairness of our bacon it only brings
from to IL cents in England, while
the British and Danish product brings
from IL to IL cents. Docs it not appeal
to our intelligence as matter OF busi-
ness to change the quality OF our hogs
and have better quality of bacon,
breed and feed 1.-The hog the market
demands and get better prices? There
are three prime conditions which we
will have to consider if we reach the
attainment of raising hogs producing
product most in demand in the mar
kets of the world, namely, breeding,
care and feeding
In seeking the type of hog proiuc-
ing the greatest proportion of lean
meat choose as breeders only those oil
sufficient bone, sound feet and legs, Of
good length, devoid of all excess oil
grossness of head, jowl and flabby
belly, with just enough shoulder te
give symmetry to the animal. II is
absolutely impossible to produce 9
large proportion of lean meat withou
the animal has ample bone, sound fee
and legs, with organs OF digestion ans
respiration animpaired, thus ensurins
constitutional vigor and muscular &C
ton. Muscle is lean meat, and thu
vigorous, active hog during his en-
tire existence is taking on hesl
of that streaied kind, firm and fine il
texture, with equal facility that hi
weak-legged, helpless brother takes OF
his banches OF habby fat. Give YOU
hogs plenty OF range throughout theil
entire existence. Close confinement o
the breeding stock and overfeedini
with rich and highly fermentation
foods, often consisting of single cor
diet, Is more largely responsible for tn
troubles of the modern swine breede
than all other causes combined.
The people of every nation are cor
dcmning pork of excessive fat
ness, which, let US hope, ma
be the means of wiping OF
many of the denominations {
modern breeding to produce excessive
ly fat types. 1t will take some time t
get some of the breeds down to a baco
hog, as the bacon hog is the gres
degideratum, and we should reach
conservative point between the lanl
active hog of the pioneer age, whic
possessed vigorous constitution, an
the present condition of his over-bu
dened descendants.
Now as to care of the hog to produt
the best quality Of pork. He shout
not be confined to cramped quarter
but should have access to sunshine an
the pure air OF heaven, pure wat'
and sufficient range to exercise ;
will and develop muscle al
take ON solid flesh, instead
being in confinement and taking G
puffy fat. In the development I
young swine, greer vegetation is Nc
only luxury but necessity, and the
SnOuiu DC put Oh pdsturc IA eAS sPI A.
Us soon as it can be had, and fed {
bone and musslc-iorming food in co
nectlon with light corn ration unit
the time for ripening them for marlSe
Then, in addition to the lighter foo
which should be kept up, increase Il
corn ration to the extent of their alb
ity to digest and assimilate such food
avoiding over-feeding, yet pushing the
to a marketable weight MS fast as CT
cumstances will allow. There was
time when the hog developed his mt
Giles and added largely to the percer
age OF lean meat in hunting their ov
living, which was composed OF t
masts of the forests and picked up
stubble fields where much grain W
left by the scythe and cradle. I
<~xoek hos baon chauped ipfo fertj