The Richfield recorder. (Richfield, Idaho) 1909-1931, 1911-12-14
PORK PRODUCTION IN INTER-
MOUNTAIN COUNTRY

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 a 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-
gressiye 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 a 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 exce1ed in any other part
of this continent for hog raising. This
is a broad statement, but l believe the
facts substantive it.. The weather is
uniformly dry, the seasons are mod
crate, TIE air pure and invigorating
and the Sunshine abundant and
strong. There is only one serious
objection 70 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 a very serious one, if
guarded against, is very readily
The hog is by nature a
s~emi-tropical animal, he has a light
coat of very coarse hair at best, and
is consequently very susceptible to
cold or ehills. Again, the hog has no
perspiration or sweat glands in his
rIrfp o,I +hnuoh ho no q cAnni-frnn-I
;eaI animal naturally is very easily
with heat. Most other an
imals, incl ding man, are provident-
tally equipped with a means of cool
ing the surface of their bodies
through the evaporation of the pers-
Diration which eXudes from the open
pores of their skin whenever the
temperature of the body rises abnor-
mally. This merciful provision of a
lure has been denied the hog, cOnse-
luently, when he is exposed to the
burning hot sun during the middle
Of the day, and his BODY becomes
.)verheated, he should be provided
With some kind Of shelter or shade;
md with some leans OF supplying
for evaporation from the I
of his body. On the other
land, when the sun goes down, and |
he chill air from the mountains de- }
icends into the valleys in the even
ng, or during the night, the hog hav- {
ng no adequate covering of hair is l
cry readily chilled. The result of |
which is very apt to be a serious loss I
rom pneumonia and other pulmon-
.ry troubles, particularly in the case c
# young pigs and very fat animals. |
n summer, it is important, there /
ore, hat hogs should be furnished
With some shelter in the fields. We 4
rovide small "A"-shaped, eight-foot d
quare hog houses. These are cheap, t
asily moved from place to place, and a
nswer every purpose, both for shell
er from the u and from the cool h
light air providing they are well V
entilated. In addition to adequate t
heller all pasture lots for hogs in u
ummer should be provided with a Il
bath" in which the animals can go a
t will, not so much to clean their Il
odies as 10 cool themselves. Hogs "
nould not e forced to make a wal s.
in some dirty, filthy, stagnant a
DOL of water in order to cool them o
elves. Provide each pasture lot with |
small tank eight by eight feet t
luare and ten inches deep, made of il
or concrete, set into the II
round, and have this supplied with "
.esh. clean water once or twice a VI
eek, which will not hold to exceed h
yo or three barrels, and to this bath, N
lch week, you should add about two es
larts of some good coal tar disin-
ictant. 1t will be found an excellent m
,ecaution against disease, and, par IN
c larry those OF a farasitical ma it
ire, and is the most effective meth fc
l that l know of, for keeping the to
free from lice and vermin. pc
18th these minor projections against pc
Idden extremes in temperature, this al
innate is certainly ideal for hogs of Fl
| ages. Compare u conditions in tv
is respect with those prevailing in Of
e corn belt country, where for sew 70
al months of the year the animals pi
ust wallow through mud and snow, N
cir bodies being down near the of
ound, in order to get sufficient ex- qr
else to keep them in health. They pr
e forced TO become wet and muddy, &c
d the loss from disease is conse- pc