Bryan morning eagle. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1898-1909, 1906-12-20

tied on Three Tracts
Acres Eaeh-hoss
nos. Profitable After
Sustaining Largest Loss.


one of the practical and successful
farmers of Brazos county, and be-
Iieving his experience in diversif-
cation will prove advantageous to
our readers the Eagle has asked
him TO submit comparative state
meut of his experiments this year
10 determine the relative profits OF
raising hogs and cotton.
Mr.. McSwain undertook these
experiments in systematic way
for his own satisfaction and at the
request of some of his neighbors
who were desirous of knowing
what the result Of a practical test
would be, Mr.. McSwain being
favorably situated for making 1t.
To make the test Mr.. McSwain
selected three tracts OF land Of
twenty-four acres each, and the
summarized results are given be-
low:
Twenty-four acres in peanuts
produced in pork, at S and 5 I-2
cents per pound, s43s.Io; cost oil
raising $3.50; clear profit, s4o7'6o
Twenty-four acres in cotton
without fertilizer, making one bale
to three acres at 10 cents per
pound, $500 90; expense of picking
10000; clear profit, s3o4.oo.
Twenty-four acres in cotton with
fertilizer, making one-half bale per
acre at 10 cents per pound, 100000
expense Of fertilizer and picking
fertilizer $4,000, picking sI44.oo)
total, sIos. 90; clear profit, s4o2 90
In computing the results OF both
tracts of cotton Mr.. McSwain
makes a rent allowance OF s2.So
per acre, and includes this in the
cost of production. His own time
and labor is not included in the
figures and it is assumed
that he allows equally for it in all
three experiments, but as matter
of fact the cotton growing on each
of the tracts. unquestionably re-
ouired more time and labor than
both the peanuts and the hogs.
In addition to the twenty four
acres of peanuts the hogs had the
benefit of IS acres of uncultivated
prairie grass pasture and two acres
Of uncultivated Bermuda grass
pasture in separate Enclosures with
a cross fence and tank in each
enclosure. 1t is assumed that the
rent value of the uncultivated land
and permanent improvements
thereon are compensated by the
pasturage advantage to the hogs
there being no additional expense
for time and labor in this connec-
ton. j..
Mr. McSwain states that bad
luck with the hogs usually, as IN
this case, is more pronounced than
cotton. In his experience this
year out Of forty last winter pigs
he lost all but seven. He also
states that it is safe to say that
crows ate 100 bushels OF his pea
nut crop, loss which with proper
care might be safeguardet. He
was successful with both cotton
and peanuts in that neither had TO
be replanted.
Deductions from the above
figures as they are given show that
the hogs produced sIo5,6o more
than the unfertilized cotton; that
the hogs produced $3.50 more than
the fortified cotton, making the
result about equal; and last that
the fortified cotton produced
Sos. 90 more clear profit than the
unfertilized cotton after paying ex-
pense of fertilizer.
The figures show that while the
conditions were decidedly the
most unfavorable for the hogs
they made the greatest earning or
profit with the least trouble labor
and expense. Also that the use OF
fertilizer in growing cotton is de-
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