Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1912-05-30
PROFITABLE PORK
PRODUCT

That far too many farmers allow
the size of their droves Of swine
TO nuctuate in sympathy with the
market demands Of the previous
season IS the opinion of. L. P. Mar
tiny, president of the Wisconsin Live
Stock Breeders Association and one
Of the leading stockmen Of the State.
The ups and downs in the hog
market, he has found, come about e.
very two years and unfortunately
many swinemen, even in Wisconsin,
cut down the number of their breed
ing animals when pork prices are
low only to find themselves ''short"
on market hogs when prices are
soaring Assuming that favorable
market conditions are to continue in
definitely they promptly stock up
heavily with breeding animals only
to find themselves with a. large num-
Der Of hogs ''on hand" when the de-
mand is light.
It is, of course, as every success
full breeder Will testify, a far better
plan to raise about the same number
OF hogs each season, thus being bet
ter prepared to meet the turns of
the market and, over a term of years
pocket a much larger aggregate
profit,
Years of close observation have
convinced Mr.. Martiny that wheth-
er the prices are high or Low, the
markets have their fashions. In the
fall, for example, quotations are gen
orally the highest during the month
Of September and after October prize
es not infrequently drop ais much as
from fifty cents to two dollars per
hundred weight and remain relative
ly low until warm weather "sets in
in the spring, when an advance may
again be expected, the maximum be-
ing reached in the Latter part of A
pril or carly May.
Wisconsin farmers will find it to
their advantage to cater to the de-
mands of the markets by having their
sows farrOW in early spring, permit
ting the marketing of the pigs before
October list. This plan will permit,
if skim milk and other good growing
feeds are available, of the raising of
two filters a year having the second
crop ready to market in the spring
when we'll fed g 'porkers" are in
strong demand. The most rapid and
therefor economical gains are made
when the pig is from three to seven
months of age. After that the gains
are far slower and cost from two to
four times as much in feed consum-
ed.
This experienced breeder and feed
er is convinced, too, that Wisconsin
swine men would find it to their
decided advantage to cooperate in
much the same manner as do breeder
of dairy cattle. He sees no reason
why the community plan of breeding
should not prove quite as satfsfac-
tory in the breeding of swine as with
dairy cattle. The country about Elk
horn, for example, could come to be
known for it's Chester Whites, that a
! bout Beloit for it's, Berkshires. Chip
pewa Falls for it's Poland Chinas,
another for it's Yorkshires and so on.
These and other constructive agen-
cies under careful leadership would
establish a reputation for swine rails
ed in Wisconsin, which our ideal
conditions entities us to claim.
Mr. Martiny will, in all probable
ity, be one Of the speakers on the
More and Better Live Stock Spe
cial" which, during the first 2 weeks
in June, will tour twenty or more
counties in upper Wisconsin. Here
in Grand Rapids on Saturday, June
8th from 1870 to o'clock p. m.