The Green Forest tribune., 1910-04-22
COTTON FARMER RAISE PORK?
AgricuIturist of To-Day Must Think and Study as to How He Can
 Make Land Return Fair Profit.

Make Land Return Fair Profit. In an address before the Texas Swine Breeders association at Tenn | pie, Tex, recently, MT. c. K. Durham spoke of the necessity of diversified farming in the south. He said:
 Why is it that some farmers grow their own meat and others do not? | Those who produce their own bacon and lard say: They cant afford not to produce it. The farmer must hogs. from the time the SOW is bred until the pigs are developed into hogs, ready to be butchered. Then he should know how to feed to get the best results
 Many pigs die when young and many do not develop as fast as they should Much of the financial loss caused by these things could be pre- vented if we knew more about the business. This information may be obtained from experience, but it is cheaper to secure the bulletins issued by the government, and to take some good journal from which we can se- cure the experience of our best and most successful hog men. This knowledge will save the farmers thousands of dollars.
 After learning all We can about the management of hogs, we must have good-bred hogs to begin with. With out this foundation, it is impossible to grow pork profitably. The profit able hog is the one that is ready to be butchered at an age not exceeding 10 or 12 months. It is a financial loss to keep a hog, intended for pork longer than this time.
 Some preparation must be made to raise hogs A little pen is not enough. A shed of some kind not necessarily expensive in our warm country, must be provided l care not what kind of feed is given, hog cannot put on flesh when he is deep in mud, with wet sleeping quarters, and is exposed to the cold and the rain. It is almost a waste of food in such unfavorable conditions.
 Then some kind of pasturage could be provided. One acre, fenced so it will hold hogs, will not cost much. This may be divided into two or three parts. Make it rich with manure. It will furnish pasturage for several hogs, if managed properly. This pasturage will enable you to grow hogs at much less expense.
 Again, every farm should be fenced so as to hold hogs and sheep. You say, This will cost a great deal From experience, I believe that farm so fenced and divided into different fields can be made to pay enough more in two years to pay for the fen cling. Then you will not get your colts cut on the wire You can raise sheep and hogs, and thereby convert the burs, woods and every blade of grass into money; and return to the land the manure resulting from this kind of farming, thereby increasing the fertility of the soil, instead of de- pleting it. If a farm is fenced this way, the hogs and sheep can get much to eat from the different fields that otherwise would go to waste.
 Then balanced ration must be fed. An all-corn diet is not the most eco nomical feed for the growing hog. Most farmers, because they have the corn, feed only corn. This is a mis- take. If we have not the pasturage or the feed to supply all the needs of a growing hog, we will save money by selling some corn and buying some other feed to combine with our corn to make a balanced ration.
 With little pasturage, with the slop and the waste water in the horse lot, every farmer can produce meat and lard for home consumption at small cost.
 "To succeed financially, the south must diversity. We cannot afford to put all our land in cotton. To do this for a series of years means cheap cotton and worn-out farms Dr. s. A. Knapp says: Every ton of cotton seed raised on farm takes off $11 worth of fertilizer By arranging the farms as previously stated, there is no better way of diversifcation than to raise hogs and sheep
 Again, it has been shown by our experiment stations that, with proper preparation of the land and intelli- gent cultivation, the yields of corn on the same area in Texas can be great ly increased. The farmer of today must think and study as to how he can make his high priced land pro duce a fair profit on the investment. People are increasing; land is not. Land will go higher in value and the farmer boy of to-day cannot follow the footsteps of his father and succeed in life"