Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-06-19

during any other recent decade. And yet
the figures for 1910 have gone far above
the average for the decade. The fact that
the population has increased more rapidly
than has the number Of hogs Is largely re-
sponsibie for this, although the prevalence
OF tuberculosis and cholera among hogs IL
believed 10 have had something TO do with
It. 1t is said that 2 per cent of ali the
hogs slaughtered at the abattolrs Of the
country are afflicted with tuberculosis, and
that one-tenth OF these are so badly dis
eased that they have no value except for
the making Of fertilizer or grease.
This disease sometimes attacks the finest
herds, and It is no uncommon experience
for the best lots Of hogs appearing in the
market on a given day to be the ones
afflicted with tuberculosis. The disease Is
less apparent in the stock on the hoof
among hogs than among any other domes-
tic animals. The Department of Agriculture
is striving to locate the infected swine
throughout the country II finds, however.
that 1t Is not easy TO trace the hogs back
10 their home farms. Its agents have hit
upon the plan of tagging all hogs as they
arrive at a shipping point, and keeping
record which will show what grower has
delivered them there. In this way they
hope to be able to locate the infected herds,
and with the aid of the state authorities
to establish such a quarantine as will en-
able them TO eradicate a large percentage
of the disease.
One Of the principal ways of spreading
tuberculosis among hogs Is the returning of
unpasteurized skinned milk to the farm
from creamerles. One tubercular COW may
spread the infection to a whole neighbour
hood The susceptibility OF hogs to infec-
tlon In this way is illustrated by the fact
that in one instance SO per cent of a herd
OF healthy hogs contracted tuberculosis
after being fed only three days on milk
from tubercular cows.
Among the domestic animals of the world.
the hog ranks third in number there being
1SS, 200, 600 hogs. sheep have the first place,
with 594OOOO00 and cattle second place,
with ADJ 100000. There is one sheep In the
world for every three persons, one bovine
for every four, and one hog for every
I eleven. The United States leads all the
countries of the world in hog production,
with 100000 swine on it's farms. while
Europe has more than any other continent,
there being 100000 on that continent, as
compared with 100000 in North America.
Among the states of the Union, Iowa holds
the palm for hog production, being accred-
lied with a stock of 6,4s5, 900 swine. Illinois.
Texas and Nebraska follow in order, each
Of these states having more than 100000
hogs.
1t is said that nowhere else in the United
States are the hogs healthy as in Texas
and Oklahoma, this being due to the fact
that they are raised largely on ranges, and
come in contact with few of the diseases
that are peculiar to the hog in the eastern
states The Department of Agriculture be-
lleves that 1t is incumbent upon the hog
raisers of the country TO improve their
stock asserting that pork will feel the first
pinch of under-production in the United
States. The average value per head OF the
hogs in the United States, even under the
high prices prevailing at the beginning of
the year, was only $9.14 Il 1t is believed TO
be possible to produce standard hog with
a value of at least $l5 To do this it will
be necessary TO Improve the stock Of more
than half the hogs of the United States,
and TO adopt more modern methods of feed
ing and fattening.
More pork is produced In the United
States than any other kind of meat. While
the weight of cattle which went to the
slaughter houses of the country in year.
at the time of the recent census inquiry on
the subject exceeded the weight of the
hogs by nearly 1000, 100000 pounds, yet the
weight Of the pork resulting from the
slaughtering operations exceeded the
weight OF the dressed beef by fully 1000
100000 pounds. The hogs at the packing
houses weighed $3.50. 100000 pounds while
the dressed meat amounted to nearly 5000
100000 pounds Not only in the amount of
meat produced does the hog outrank every
other animal in the United States, but also
in the value thereof. The pork products
Of the slaughter houses of the country
he M
compared with $3.50 10000 for beef and s+4,-
100000 for mutton.
1t is estimated by an Iowa banker that
IS per cent of the money on deposit in his
bank is derived from tho sales of hogs.
Taking the neighborhood butchering into
account, the bureau of animal industry
estimates that 50000O0O hogs are slaugh-
tered every year, as compared with 49,
100000 cattle and 2i,00O,OOO sheep II we ex-
pect such byproducts as the hair and other
offal. It may be said that the hog is the
only domestic animal raised in the United
States exclusively for its meat.
England annually imports 10000 tons of
bacon, valued at s65. 100000 Its highest
priced pork comes from Denmark. with
Ireland, Canada and the United States
next in order as to the value per pound
of the pork products taken into England
denmark Wnuo only Ou6-tnlTo SIG OF
the state of New York, annually produces
s22,OOoO00 worth OF pork products. The
Danes have cooperative creameries and
cooperative slaughter houses. which keep
all the profits OF the business in the hands
of the farmers.
The process of slaughtering hogs in big
packing house Is very interesting. A
chain is first looped around one OF the
hind legs of the hog and the other end
attached to a hook on a big revolving
drum. The squealing porker is carried up
into the air and the end of the chain at
tached to the drum is transferred to a
long track, which transports the hos past
the sticker who may plunge his knife into
the Threats OF many thousand hogs in a
single day From this point the bleeding
porker is carried to the scraping machines
and almost IN less time than it takes to tell
Il. has gone through all the processes which
transform it from live hog into dressed
pork. Dozens OF men take part in the
slaughter of each hog, each man having
his own special work TO do. which may
be nothing more than welding a single
stroke with a knife.
The hog has mad peculiar history. De-
splsed by the Brahmins and the ancient