The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1911-04-14
HOG RAISING IN OREGON.
Finest Bacon Produced From Feeds
Native to This State.

NATIVE 10 MS otatS'
Oregon Agricultural College, Cor
vallis.-That hog raising can be
carried on very proftably in Ore.
gon and the Northwest is the opinion
of DR.. James Withycombe, Director
of the Oregon Agricultural Expert,
ment station. Relative to this mat
ter DR.. Withycombe says:
"The production of hogs is a
neglected industry on many Oregon
farms. This great American farm
mortgage litter for some reason does
not receive the attention to which
he is entitled. This is perhaps due
to the inability of many farmers to
disassociate the hog from corn. In
the great hog-producing states corn
| is the staple food for these animals
and the opinion is prevalent that
there is no other feed that can sue
cessfully compete with corn. This is
a mistake and it has been proven
such time and again. 1t is a well
known fact that the highest priced
bacon in the world is produced in
Canada and Denmark. This high
priced meat is not produced from
corn but from just such feeds as can
be grown abundantly upon the Ore
Iyon farms. There is no better grain
Than wheat or barley for producing a
high class pork product. Barley
should be the staple hog food upon
the Oregon farm. Splendid results
can be secured from barley and skim
milk or barley and tankage as a fat
tening food for hogs.
ut has been found at the Oregon
Experiment Station that skim milk
and tankage are both excellent sup
Elemental foods with barley for fat
tening hogs. These supplemental
foods lower the cost of production.
Ordinarily it rquires As pounds of
barley to make one pound of gain but
with these supplemental feeds much
less barley is required for securing
a similar gain.
I'm a recent experiment conduct
ed at this station, 3.21 lbs. of ground
barley and 4.S7 lbs. of skim milk
produced one pound gain in lot 1,
comprising hogs, which gained in
60 days, 7S6 lbs. and consumed 2525.5
lbs. of ground barley and 3S325 lbs.
skim milk. In lot 2, consisting of 7
hogs, it required 3.43 lbs. of ground
barley and .25 lb. of tankage for one
pound gain. This lot gained in 60
days 1888 lbs. and consumed 2676.75
lbs. barley and 1915 lbs. of tankage.
Estimating that without the skim
milk or tankage it would have re-
quired 4.5 lbs. of ground barley to
produce one pound gain, this would
indicate that 3832,5 lbs. of skim milk
saved 1011.5 lbs. Of barley which at
5000 per ton would give a return
of 1870 for the milk, or about sc
cents per cwt. Estimating upon the
same basis for the tankage fed
hogs 1915 lbs. of tankage saved S25.5
lbs. Of barley, worth at $2700 per
ton, s11.14. Cost of tankage. Sab,
thus making from the investment in
tankage $6.41.
There is no question but what
swine husbandry, when properly con-
Quoted is profitable in Oregon. From
a number Of experiments conducted
at this station results show that it
costs approximately 3.5 cents per
pound TO grow hog to a fattening
stage. For example, pigs farrowed
in the early spring and allowed to
run on clover, alfalfa, vetch, or rape
during the summer and fed a small
supplemental feed or grain can be
brought TO fattening stage in the
fall, weighing about 1875 pounds at
a cost of about 3.5 to 4 cents per
pound. Presuming at this time they
are placed in fattening yards and fed
for 60 days on ground barley, of
which it will require $50 pounds to
produce 100 pounds gain. Thus at
this time the hog will weigh 225 lbs.
and at present market values worth
8 cents per pound, or $500. The
cost of production will be about as
follows:
Cost of maintaining breeding herd
about $500 per pig; initial weight at
time of fattening, 1875 lbs. at 3.5
cents per pound, $4.37; 450 lbs. of
barley at $27 per ton, $6O7. Total
cost of production, $12.44; net profit
per hog, except labor, 1856. This
Of course allows commercial rate for
all food consumed. If skim milk or
tankage be fed even better results
would be secured. 1t is evident that
there Is good money in hogs.
"Sows should farrow two litters a
year. The fall pigs could be wint-
cred in Western Oregon very largely
upon roots and kale with a small
supplemental feed of grain and fat
tened in the spring or early summer.
In Eastern Oregon they could run on
early sown grain or be fed some
roots or nicely cured alfalfa or pea
hay.
IN the matter of breed there is lit
tie difference in the leading breeds of
hogs. 1t is largely matter of per-
sonal choice with the farmer 1t is
not nacessary to have nure bred hogs
to make a success of the industry.