The Mena weekly star., 1909-11-25
HOGS AND FERTILE ACRES.
To the Editor of The Star.


 cussion concerning stock law ID Polk county, 1 wish to call U c attention of the farmers to the following:
 Coming from Wisconsin to Ar kansas the first part ot April l found the appearance of the land, crops, etc., much the same as Tn Wisconsin when 1 moved there some twenty years ago. The farms were run out to such an ex- tent that hardly half crop could be made. What stock there was was mostly common scrub stock. Some were uslng commercial fer tilizer on their land, trying to keep up in that way, but were not getting the best of results. Others were clearing new land, to soon be in no better condition than the old.
 After a few years, with the farmers trying to make living by making ties, cord wood and such, creamery, or butter fac tory, was built and put ia op1r- atiou.
 This started the ball to rolling. The poorer grade of stock were disposed of as fast as possible and better grades put in their places. Later skimmiug stations, which are now displaced by hand separ- ators, were built. The cream was gathered from these stations and hauled to the main factory, where 1t was churned. At this time the main factory was get ting about l5,0OO pounds of milk daily and each of the stations about 4, ,000 pounds, msking about 6,000 pounds in all. This amount of milk will make about 1000 pounds of butter. The ter ritory covered by these stations was probably not to exceed eig ht miles square.
 The business went ahead. The farmers did their best to build up their herds, to produce more and richer milk, and increase the ter tillty or their land by hauling the manure from the stock on It, sow ing clover, etc.
 The skinned milk from the factories and stations was fed to hogs. Sometimes small ration of such feed as bran, shorts and corn was fed with it, but more often the milk alone was given the hogs, which were kept in lot containing one or two acres. Sometimes they had clover pas ture and some times what was called June grass. Pigs kept in thls manner. from their birth, sometimes in April until October or November, would weigh from l50 to 200 pounds, with a small ration of corn to finish them off.
 Some of the farmers grew dis satisfied with the individual own ership of the creamery and de- cided to corporate and build for themselves, which they did, with great success.
 Now this little town ot about l,500 or 2,000 population contains two creameries. The farmers from the surrounding country ship, through individual buyers aud the Farmers Association, at the least calculation, one car load of stock for each day in the week, at this time of the year, and an average of two cars per week for the balance of the year. There they have a stock law, and it does not look much like shipping in more meat as a result. Does it?
 The most of these shipmer ts are hogs, cattle, sheep and some poultry. The fertilizer is nearly all left on the land, which has in- creased in value until 1t is selling at $40 to $l00 per acre.
 This land twenty yesrs ago was in no better condition for raising crops, aud, in my belief, no better land than we have here in Polk county.
 The maln object of stock law, as it looks to me, is less expense In fencing, better opportunity to breed for better stock and to build up our farms with the manure instead of having it left in tue woods, where it will do no ode any good.
 With proper pasture; such as peas, rape, vetch and the numer- | ous other crops that will do so we'll here, our meat can be pro- 1uced for less than 4 cents per pound. Remember, this is not | cash outlay, but another way of | selling our crops and, at the same |