The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-10-06

Wudt tniS country EeeQs Hiore IMAM
anything else is the superpig. Indeed.
our future as a nation depends in no
small degree upon the production Of this
hoped-for animsl-for which reason II is
that the Department OF Agriculture is
at the present time actively engaged in
hog-breeding experiments on scientific
lines in q number OF States.
We should realize tina. ours Is already
the great pig-raisIng country of the
world. On the first day of last January
there were on farms In the United States
C, 10000 hogs-that Is to say, about one
third Of all the porkers that walk on
four legs over the entire globe. Iowa
tour greatest hog-growing STATED mas
9,sss. 900 pigs-2.ooo.ooo more than France
possesses, four-fifths as many as are to
be found in European Russia, and half
as many as the whole Of Germany owns
Think of It, Other nations may sur
pass In battleships, but when II comes TO
the counting of hogs where are they?
Not. Of course. that a pig. as an indi-
vidual beast, amounts to much. One
might asperse his manners, and even in
auire what contribution he makes to the
aesthetic side of nature. But in the ag-
greeate he claims consideration as one
Of the principal means OF our national
subsistence.
Government experts say that time Is
coming when the pig will crowd the beef
animal out of the United States. As
the country becomes more thickly set
tied, and land grows proportionately
dearer, It will cost more to produce
cseie. The rich may still have beef
steak and roast beef, but ordinary folks
must be content with something cheaper.
Pork IL to-day the cheapest Of all meats.
Relatively to other kinds of meats. 1t
is destined to become progressively cheap
er. For the common people. 1t is the
mea. Of the future.
Pig Only Survivor.
See what has happened In China. That
country. SO mich older in civilization
than our own, has already passed
through the experience with which We
are now beginning. The population, in
fertile regions. exceeds in density that
OF Belgium. This means that there Is
very close balance between food demand
and area. What is the result? Simply
that, where meat production is concern
ed, the only animal that has survived
and held its place in China (barring poul-
try) is the pig. II the only beast killed
for food.
To improve the hog as much as posi-
BILE is of the utmost importance. What
is wanted Is a porker that will grow
rapidly and have numerous progeny. The
81" pIoduOcb ohc ANtci
a year (some times two). averaging not
more than four piglings- The superpis
will give birth to two filters every year.
Of seven or more piglings each. That
such an animal is far from being unob-
tainable Is shown by the fact that sows
are now being bred which can be counted
upon, when properly kept and cared
for. to do these very thingl
The great American hog is the-most
economical nf animals or what
horse eats. So per cent goes to waste.
Forty-four per cent Of the food con-
sumed by cattle Is similarly lost, and
80 per cent of all that sheep take into
their stomachs. But only IL per cent
of what a pig eats is wasted. Fifty
two per cent of the food eaten by a
hog goes to make growth. A sheep
nance for growing-which means. of
course, the production of meat.
These figures are obtained from re-
cent experiments made by government
experts. who find, as a result Of their
study. that the. pig has what they call
an economic superiority" even over
Poultry. That is to say. II produces
more meat in proportion to its weight:
and the animal weighs more in proper
tion to the amount of food Its con-
sumes. Eighty four per cent of the
carcass Of a hog is utilizable as meat;
Of the beef animal rs per cent Is ed
ible. and of the sheep only 81 per cent.
Thus II appears that greater per-
.eentage of the pig is available for food
than of any. other domesticated .cred-
ture.
Pig Is Superior.
The total live weight of cattle
slaughtered in this country largely ex-
ceeds the total live weight of swine
slaughtered. But the total of hog
II eat, including lard, exceeds the total