The La Jara chronicle., 1908-03-20
TO TEST
PEA-FED PORK
Experiment to Prove That
the San Luis Valley Prod
uct Excels All Others.
Is the pea-fed pork really better
than the corn fed variety?.

u AcuNtI toI boluliOl. IL 1<Ch-
yer says ''yes," then San Luis val
ley pea-fed pork is likely to take
it's place with Rocky Ford canta-
loupe and the Grand Junction
peach, the Carbondale potato and
the Canon City strawberry, as II
gastronomic aristrocrat, and let its
fame slowly spread over the rest of
the country. But if Denver can
not see the difference, then the
pea-fed hogs from the valley, of
which more and more are coming
every year, are. likely to figure in
market reports as just hogs and
nothing more, and 90 down to the
digested oblivion as their corn-fed
cousins from Nebraska.
An experiment in gastronomics
is being carried out by G. A. Ly-
man, one of the San Luis valley
boomers. with the help of Col. w.
E. Skinner of the Western Pack
ing Co. at the stock yards. Pea
fed hogs of good grade will be
kept separate as they are brought
into the Denver market, and they
will be sold to the city butchers
distinctively labeled as Romeo
pea-fed pork" Romeo being that
section of the valley to which Mr..
Lyman owes special allegiance.
Then this pork will be offered to
the discriminating public of Den
yer, at first at very little more than
the price of the ordinary corn fed.
If the people who buy the pork
like it enough better than corn fed
SO they will ask for it, and pay n
little extra for it, then the Denver
packers can pay enough of "A prem
ium for the hogs to bring the
whole product of the valley to
Denver.
At present the hogs raised in
the San Luis valley are SO scat
tered that no distinct market can
be made for them. California is
very fond of pea-fed pork; SO is
New Mexico. Pueblo is an active
bidder and Ell Paso takes n hand
in the game every once in while.
Whatever may be the merits of
the fresh pork. the packers of Den
yer agree that they can readily
build up fancy market for the
hams and bacon from pea-fed hogs.
provided they can get steady
supply of the right kind of ami
mails, SO as to run a separate brand
through the curing and smoking
processes and sell it under speci-
al trademark.
1t is claimed for the pea-fed
pork that it is actually chemically
different from the corn fed. The
peas are nitrogenous food, while
corn is starchy. The pea fed pork
is therefore richer in protein and
less fat than the corn fed. 1t is
also less dry, juicier and has
much milder flavor. Some cpl
cures declare that the meat of
young pea-fed hog is more like the
dark meat of turkey than like
pork, as pork is generally fattened.
The pea-fed hogs range the fields
and pick up the peas, and it is
claimed that this open air life with
only pure water to drink. makes a
healthier, stronger animal, and
therefore healthier meat.
Of the two carloads of San Luis
valley pea feds which reached the
Denver market yesterday, one car
was brought by A. T. Scott, OF
Del Norte and was bid in at u
premium of Is cents above the top
of the Omaha market. The other
car was mixed offering from
several raisers at Romeo and
not of as uniform quality as the
first, but it brought "a price con-
siderably above what was paid for
similar offerings of corn fed pork.
Denver Republican.