The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1911-12-22
PORK PRODUCTION in INTER
MOUNTAIN COUNTRY
BY w. l.. Carlyle, Dean and Director,
Idaho State University.


possible to raise hogs, and produce
pork in the intermountain country at
a profit. Some, and perhaps the ma
jority of them, believe that hogs can
not be grown and fattened at profit
in any country where corn cannot be
abundantly and cheaply grown; in
fact, they are not backward in ex-
pressing their conviction that hogs
cannot be grown and fattened with
out corn. After some years expert
ence in hog growing and fattening in
this western country, we are con-
WINGED that these men are greatly
mistaken, and we believe that this
section offers many advantages for
pork production that are not to be
found in any other section of the
United States.
1t may be said that there are five
prime factors that have to do with
profitable pork production in any
country; these are, first, the ability,
experience and taste of the farmer;
second, the nature of the climate;
third, the character of the soil, and
its capacity to produce an abundance
of suitable feed products cheaply;
fourth, the prevalence of disease and
fifth and most important, the demand
for pork products or the availability
of a good market. Let us consider
these five factors, and apply them to
our conditions, and see how nearly
we fill the bill in this section. In
the first instance, we have as pro-
gressive a lot of farmers as may be
found in any section of the country.
1t is true that many, in fact, most
of them have not that knowledge and
skill in the business of rearing and
feeding swine that insures success,
but this skill and knowledge can be
secured in very short time with a
little practical experience and careful
study. 1t can, therefore, be said that
in so far as the first factor is con-
cerned that our conditions are favor
able.
AS regards the climate, this section
cannot be excelled in any other part
of this continent for hog raising. This
is a broad statement, but believe the
facts substantiate it. The weather is
uniformly dry, the seasons are mod
crate, the air pure and invigorating
and the sunshine abundant and
strong. There is only one serious
objection to our climate from the
hogs standpoint and that is our ex-
IRENE variations of temperature in
each twenty-four hours; and this OBJ
lection, while very serious one, II
mot guarded against, is very readily
overcome. The hog is by nature a
semi-tropical animal, he has light
coat of very coarse hair at best, and
is consequently very susceptible to
cold or chills. Again, the hog has no
perspiration or sweat glands in his
skin, and though he be semi-trop-
ical animal naturally, is very easily
overcome with heat. Most other an
imals, incl ding man, are provident-
tally equipped with means of cool
ing the surface of their bodies
through the evaporation of the pers-
piration which eXudes from the open
pores of their skin whenever the
temperature of the body rises abnor-
mally. This merciful provision of ma
ture has been denied the hog, conse-
quently, when he is exposed to the
burning hot sun during the middle
of the day, and his BODY becomes
overheated, he should be provided
with some kind of shelter or shade;
and with some means or supplying
moisture for evaporation from the
surface of his body. On the other
hand, when the sun goes down, and
the chill air from the mountains de-
sends into the valleys in the even
ing, or during the night, the hog hav-
ing no adequate covering of hair is
very readily chilled. The result OF
which is very apt to be a serious loss
from pneumonia and other pulmon-
airy troubles, particularly in the case
of young pigs and very fat animals.
In summer, it is important, there
fore, that hogs should be furnished
with some shelter in the fields. We
provide small "A'-shaped, eight-foot
square hog houses. These are cheap,
easily moved from place to place, and
answer every purpose, Sboth for shell
ter from the sun and from the cool
night air providing they are well1
ventilated. In addition to adequate
shelter all pasture lots for hogs in
summer should be provided with a
bath" in which the animals can go
at will, not SO much to clean their
bodies as TO cool themselves. Hogs
should not g forced to make wal
low in some dirty, filthy, stagnant
pool of water in order to cool them
selves. Provide each pasture lot with
a small tank eight by eight feet
square and ten inches deep, made OF
plank or concrete, set into the
ground, and have this supplied with
fresh, clean water once or twice a
week, which will not hold to exceed
two or three barrels, and to this bath,
each week, you should add about two
quarts of some good coal tar disin-
fectant 1t will be found an excellent
precaution against disease, and, par
tic larly those of parasitical ma
ture, and is the most effective meth
cd that 1 know of, for keeping the
animals free from lice and vermin.
With these minor projections against
sudden extremes in temperature, this
climate is certainly ideal for hogs OF
all ages. Compare our conditions in
this respect with those prevailing in
the corn belt country, where for sew
eral months of the year the animals