The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1912-01-12
PORK PRODUCTION In INTER.
MOUNTAIN COUNTRY


MOUNTAIN COUNTRY
BY W. L. Carlyle, Dean and Director
Idaho State University.
Many farmers believe that it is i'm
possible to raise hogs, and produc
pork in the intermountain country a
a profit. Some, and perhaps the ma
jority Of them, believe that hogs can
not be grown and fattened at a prof
in any country where corn cannot b
a'undantly and cheaply grown; II
fact, they are not backward in ex
pressing their conviction that hog
cannot be grown and fattened with
out corn. After some years expert
ence in hog growing and fattening il
this western country, we r con
WINGED that these men are great!
mistaken, and WI believe that THU
section offers many advantages fol
pork production that are not to b.
found in any other section of thu
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, anl
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 te
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 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 excelled in any other part
of this continent for hog raising. This
is a broad statement, but l 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 u 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
not guarded against, is very readily
overcome. 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 chills. Again, the hog has no
perspiration or sweat glands in his
skin, and though he be a semi-trop-
ical animal naturally, is very easily
overcome with heat. Most other an
imals, incl ding man, are provident-
equipped with a means of cool
AA6 IAV 0ulloCC VI LuClI UOulC6
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
has been denied the hog, nse-
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
some kind Of shelter or shade;
and with some e Of supplying
moisture for evaporation from the
surface of his body. On the other
hand, when the sun goes down, and
he chill air from the mountains de-
sends into the valleys In the even
.ng, or during the night, the hog hav-
ng no adequate covering of hair is
readily chilled. The result of
which is very apt to be a serious loss
pneumonia and other pulmon-
Try troubles, particularly in the case
If young pigs and very fat animals.
n summer, it is important, there
ore, that hogs should be furnished
With some shelter in the fields. We
small "A"-shaped, eight-foot
Quare hog houses. These are cheap,
'asily moved from place to place, and
.nswer every purpose, both for shell
er from the sun and from the cool
light air providing they are well
In addition to adequate
all pasture lots for hogs in
ummer should be provided with a
bath" In which the animals can 60
t will, not SO much to clean their
odies as to cool themselves. Hogs
hould not e forced to make a wal
wv in some dirty, filthy, stagnant
DOL of water in order to cool them
elves. Provide each pasture lot with
small tank eight by eight feet
luare and ten inches deep, made of
or concrete, set into the
and have this supplied with
esh, clean water once or twice a
eek, which will not hold to exceed
10 or three barrels, and to this bath,
week, you should add about two
Iarts of some good coal tar disin-
Giant. 1t will be found an excellent
ecaution against disease, and, par
larly those of a parasitical ma {
re-, and is the most effective meth
that / know Of, for keeping the |
imals free from lice and vermin.
Ith these minor projections against
iden extremes in temperature, this s
mate is certainly ideal for hogs Of t
aras Compare our conditions In 9