Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1908-03-13

provement, If W. rely upon getting sim
liar results in Texas as have been pro
duced in other States by such improve
ment. Now If the value Of these 2,24G-
900 acres Of untillable and uninhabita-
BILE lands can be enhanced $40 per acre
and the lands made to class among the
most productive and desirable in Tex
as, and thereby adding a net increased
value Of $94,0SO,OOO to the taxable val
ues Of the State.-Dallas News.
Finishing Hogs for Market.
Pork production Is one of the most
profitable farm industries in Georgia,
especially when conducted in connec
ton with dairying n upon land where
plenty Of cheap range, forage and root
crops can be secured. The most salable
kind of pork Is that which contains a
large proportion of lean meat, as the
lard and fatty portions Of the hog are
cheaper in price and troublesome to
handle, says a Georgia bulletin. The
type Of hog that produces a large share
Of lean meat Is rapidly becoming the
most popular In America, and is known
90 LAS lyPC, SAoliPiSS VI WAlSh
are tie Yorkshire and Tamworth
breeds. All the present breeds Of hogs,
however, can be fed In such a manner
as to produce the same results, by a
proper combination Of protein or nitro
geneous feeds which produce lean meat,
and starchy or carbonaceous feeds,
which produce the fat.
There is no question hat the cheap
est method Of growing a pig from wean-
ing time until ready for the final fat
tening or finishing period, is to use
good range or pasture, supplied with
acorns, mast or Bermuda grass, and In
addition some root or forage crop, such
as rape, peanuts, chufas, cowpeas, arti-
chokes, potatoes and sassava, with per-
haps a small quantity Of grain. But
the usual idea Of stockmen, when TAX
ing up pigs weighing 125 to $50 pounds,
for the purpose Of hardening the flesh
and finishing for market, is to feed
them in pens almost entirely on a diet
oe cern for six Or eight weeks. This
practice Will invariably produce more
Of the soft fats than by feeding upon
a properly balanced mixture.
Need More Protein.
A station bulletin says: at is now
clearly recognized that dry feed alone,
especially where corn is the exclusive
ration, does not provide tie most salts
factory combination Of nutrients for
the hog. The fact that corn is so gen
orally cultivated has led to its almost
exclusive use as a fattening ration for
hogs In many localities, which Is un-
fortunate in the light Of Investigations
made in the last few years, as the re-
suits distinctly show that much better
gains would be obtained were the corn
combined with some other food which
would supply the needs Of the grow
ing animals to better advantage.
For fattening purposes corn stands
supreme, but it is not a complete and
perfect food for either growing or fat
tening animals, and this statement an
plies to all classes of live stock. From
the standpoint of the hog feeder, corn
is deficient in both protein and miner
al matter, especially the latter. Since
the uniform and rapid development OF
the animal depends on the maintenance
Of the skeleton or bony framework, the
nutrition of tie muscles and the forma-
ton of fat, it is essential that such
foods be fed as will provide for the
needs Of the body in the cheapest
form. AS other grains are rich in some
Of the constituents in which corn is de-
ficient, it appears that a combination
of them will prove effective, and such
is shown to be the case by the results
presented.
TIE ommon practice of feeding corn
alone to hogs would be corrected, were
some we'll known truths more general
~ recognized. For instance. it is stat
ed on competent authority that the ash
of corr is entirely indigestible by swine.
Moreover, the Withholding of mineral
matter from the hog o only impairs
the skeleton, but the whole nutritive
process is disturbed as well, and the
growth Of the animal is seriously re-
tarded If our results are to be relied
upon. Tie fact that gains two or three
times larger than those normally OBJ
tanned on corn alone follow the proper