The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-03-18
FARM AND GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO AGRI-
CULTURlSTS.
some Up-to-Date Hints About Guilt
walton of the Soil and Yields
Observation-Disclosures ~itiouIture and
Horticulture.
Uniformity.

Uniformity.
In the marketing of animals in num-
bers at time there is nothing per-
haps more important than uniformity
of breed, shape, condition and quality.
1t is quite necessary to please the eye
of the buyer as well as his sense OF
possible profit to be made from the
purchase of given lot of animals. IL
is quite possible that number OF
animals Of different types and condi-
tons may weigh just as much as an
other lot of uniform hogs, for IN
stance, but that fact will not make
them bring as much in the market as
the other bunch. When one looks at
a lot of hogs that are of every kind
and sort known to hogdom-all colors'
shapes, sizes and ages mixed together
in one unsightly aggregation-he can
not but deplore the fact that any one
would waste good feed on such monde
scripts when it might just as well have
been fed to a uniform bunch, which
would have commanded a far more
profitable price upon the market And
yet such lots of hogs come daily to
the Yards. Among them are good
hogs, well fed, we'll finished, of good
quality, but they are few and far be-
tween and their presence does not ma
terially help the chances Of the 9TH
ers, but invariably the price of the
good hogs is cut on account of the
bad ones. 1t is like the company a
young man keeps being considered an
index to his personal character. One
may be guiltless in fact, but if he
keeps bad company he will by infer
ence receive the same bad character
as his friends. A good hog should al
ways come to the market with good
companions, and the more they all look
| alike the better it will be for the ship
per, and this truth applies equally to
the selling of cattle in the great mar
kets of the country. 1t is true, too,
of the sheep business, and for that
reason sheep men are in the habit of
sorting out their fat sheep into uni
form punches, and by so doing GER
tainly manage to secure better prices
for them than would otherwise be the
case. The same thing should be done
by shippers of hogs, the idea being to
forward lots of pigs that are about OF
even development, weight, quality and
breed. But some will say this idea is
good one and perfectly correct, but
what are you going to do about II
when you have no such hogs to ship OF
pick from?" That is another point we
are coming to. Why not have such
hogs to ship? Why breed and feed
any other kind of hog in these days OF
breed sales where good, pure-brec
boars can be had at moderate prices
Why stick to the old-fashioned, ante
quated types of swine which were
once predominant? Why not grade W
the home swine and have presentabl'
animals to feed and sell? There is ne
possible excuse for possessing, feeding
or shipping scrub swine. Such hog
are disgrace to an American citizen
They are a disgrace to the times WI
live in. They are an eyesore to buy
ers. They are of little profit upon th'
block They are mere scayanger
upon the farm. They do not utillz
food to the best possible profit. The,
furnish a poor quality of pork, ham
and bacon. They should be consid
cred a nuisance and the sooner the
) are gotten rid of the better will 1t b
for all concerned. Now we hope thos
l who have been feeding scrub hogs an
= shipping them to the markets at a los
!. or to receive poorer prices than thei
e neighbors receive for uniform hog
: will take this matter to heart. Hog
: multiply rapidly. 1t is not a life
o times work to change the entire char
: acteristics of the farm herd of swine
Commence now and save only thos
4 sows that are of one breed, style, colo
h and shape. This done, FOR any SAX
= do not breed them to the nearest boa
4 just because he is a boar! Consider
an insult to even propose the matin
y of the picked sows with anything shol
q of a pedigreed boar of standard bree
: and see to it that he is good or
! from family noted for good deeds an
long continued pure breeding. We
not care so much what breed is s.
h. lected so long as it is a pure bree
for all pure breeds today are we
worth breeding and feeding, and OF
top cross of such blood will make
y vast improvement in the uniformit
= and quality of the feeding hogs, viii
- continued breeding in the same dire
~ ton and annual selection and coupiiI
u of only the best sows viii soon bril-
70 any herd of swine up to the standa
3 OF excellence which commands profit
BILE prices in all of our markets. Dow
with the scrub, say we! Commt
sense demands it; sensible men a
y prove it; profit follows surely in t
N wake of the work.-Farmers Review
- horticultural Observations.
u (From the Farmers Review.)
40 The Dried Fruit Association of c;
ifornia is said to be making effoi
a. to reach the consumers more direct
As than has been the case previous