The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-05-13
ALABAMA SHOULD RAISE MORE HOGS Dan Gray Has Issued Im- pOrtant Bulletin THE CLIMATE IS IDEAL Maintains That Hogs Can Be Raised Profitably for Home Use By
 Any Farmer in the
 State
THE CLIMATE IS IDEAL
By WALTER HARPER


 Time and again The Age-Herald has called the attention of its readers to the importance of producing more meat in Alabama for home consumption.
 Alabamians, like all other southern peo- pie, are great meat eaters, but produce but little of the amount consumed.
 The Texas fever tick Is a serious obsta- cle in the way of producing good beef at a maximum profit in the quarantined section of the south, but there is abso- lutely nothing in the way of producing good pork and at a profit. Cholera is the only serious problem. and it has been demonstrated that that disease can be handled at small expense and with prac- | tically no loss At any rate the cholera is no worse in this section than any other section of the country.
 Prof. Dan T. Gray, in a bulletin just issued from the. experiment station at Auburn, says that with $25 invested i'll one SOW 1t is easy to produce 20O0 pounds of meat, live weight, in a years time. Dan Gray has made a life study of stock raising. His speciality is hogs. He has not only studied the business, but he has had actual experience and has had the opportunity to see at first hand what the best hog raisers in the country are doing.
 Hogs can be produced under any farm conditions That is, hogs may be raised proftably for home use by any farmer. He can at least produce his own meat. A little figuring vii show a most wonder full profit on the money invested in good SOW and little attention. The Ala bama farmer who produces good hogs has no trouble in finding a market for his product.
 The officers of a large educational insti- tuition not far from Birmingham which uses several thousand pounds of meat ev cry month complains that of recent years | they have been forced to buy practically all their meat from western packers, | whereas up to few years ago all the | meat supply was received from Clay county, in Alabama, only a short dis 1 tance from the institution referred to. | The institution had much rather have the home raised meat than the shipped prod l uct and would provide a good market for | the home grower. Just why this supply has failed I have been unable to learn Alabama has. many advantages over northern and western sections for grow ing fine hogs Climate, water and pastur- age are important and Alabama is pecu- liarly well supplied with these. Professor Grays bulletin declares that soy bean pasturage, tankage and cotton seed meal with corn are better for fatten- ing hogs than corn alone. Some farmers in Alabama claim that it does not pay to | fatten hogs with corn. It is expensive, but Professor Gray says that cat can be secured more quickly with proper pas | turage than with all corn diet. l This makes the production of meat much cheaper and 1t is said to be better.
 The soy bean is well adapted to every | section of Alabama. It grows rapidly maturing several weeks ahead of the cowpea and is not only good for pastur- ing, but makes excellent hay. It also improves the soil.
 There are progressive one and two- horse farmers all over the hill country of North Alabama who produce every pound of pork and lard that is used in | their homes and on their farms. This meat is produced with practically no ex pense Many farmers in the black belt and also in the wiregrass sections of middle and south Alabama are doing the | same thing.
 When the farmers of Alabama as whole begin to produce all the meat that | Is necessary to supply the demands of | the state they will save millions of dol | lars annually. When they learn to pro- duce more than is necessary for the state they will bring cash into the state and reverse the balance on the ledger. Professor Gray's new bulletin is No. 154 He was assisted in the compilation by J. W. Ridgway and E. R. Eudaly, all Dra ctiea1 stock axpertS