Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1912-01-12
Pork Production In the
lntermountain Country


other legumes, and in the most favor
able sections corn crops can be very
successfully grown. In addition to
all this, we grow here the most valu'
able of all hog feeds in almost per
feet form; namely alfalfa. With al
falfa, dwarf Essex rape and English
kale for forage minimum amount OF
concentrated high priced grain Is re-
quired for best results. The trouble
has been, in many instances, to de-
pend altogether too much upon al
falfa. Because 1t is good forage
people should not make the mistake
of depending upon 1t alone for feed
to raise and fatten their hogs. The
hog is a gregarious animal and 10
physiologically and anatomicallJ
more nearly like man than any
other domestic animal, his stom'
ach, intestines and whole system
of digestion and assimilation is al
most a counterpart of the human
and as a result he cannot thrive on
coarse, bulky or very fiberous food.
1t is a good rule to follow in hog
raising, in all particulars, to put your
self in the other fellows place.
Where you would thrive and wax fat.
Mr.. Hog will also think that he has
entered hog heaven. You would not
long maintain your health and
strength on such a food as alfalfa,
either green or in the form OF hay.
nor will the hog do his best. I'know
| that 1t Is a common practice to turn
brood sows and young pigs into an
alfalfa lot and there let them range
during the most of the summer with
out additional feed. This is a very
serious mistake at no time in his
life history can as cheap gains be
made on the hog as in the early
stages of his life.
In an experiment conducted under
my direction at the Wisconsin Ex-
pertinent Station, number of years
ago, it was learned that the proper
ton of food of support or mainten-
ance, to total feed in a 50-pound pig
was IS per cent; with a 100-pound
pig, 25 per cent; 150-pound pig, 81
per cent; and a 20O-pound pig, SO per
cent. From this it will be seen that
1T takes twice as much OF the total
percentage of the food eaten to make
up the food of support between a so
pound pig and 200-pound pig.
Again, it was found that in the case
of a 50-pound pig, it required 224.4
pounds of dry matter in feed to
produce 100 pounds of gain;
in the 150-pound pig, 1t re-
quired 1922 pounds OF dry matter to
produce 100 pounds gain, and in
200-pound pig, it required 1858
pounds of dry matter to produce 100
pounds of gain. From this 1t will be
seen that the earlier in life the pig
can be induced to eat largely of grain
the greater the returns that may be
secured from a given amount of feed;
and, this is particularly true when
the grain feed can be fed in combi-
nation with alfalfa pastures. AS
maintenance ration, alfalfa will just
about support pig without allowing
anything additional for gain in
weight. The more grain, therefore,
that hog can be induced to eat
when on alfalfa pasture the more
rapidly the gain and the greater the
profit.
With barley, mill stuffs. wheat.
peas. rye, oats and small amount
of corn, such as can be grown in this
country, we have all of the grains
necessary for the most profitable pro-
duction of pork. 1t may be sad how
ever, that these grains must be fed
in proper combination to give palata-
riments and other elements in proper
proportion for growth and develop
ment without any waste. During the
winter months, roots and tubers such
as beets, mangels, turnips, carrots
and potatoes, all of which may be
readily grown In this country. will be
found very valuable as supplemental
feeds to the grain ration
In addition to this, we have a ran
idly growing dairy industry, and the
by-products from the dairy in the
form OF skim and butter milk, we
have another valuable food supply
which can best be utilized when fed
to hogs.
Concerning the matter of disease
there is no large section of arabic
land In the United States that is as
free from the many diseases to which
the hog is heir as is this intermoun-
tain country. The sunshine Ia so
bright and strong. and the atmos-
Dhere is SO rare that all kinds OF
germ diseases have a poor chance for
DEVELOPMENT.
AS to the last and most important
factor. which Is the demand. or the
markets, we have every evidence that
IN this respect this section of the
oi.oo STATES Is at the present time
particularly favored.
The last census report for 1914 pava
Utah population of 373.351 people.
The same census gave Utah a total
OF 64.244 hogs, including young rigs
or trifie over one hog for every Ave
and one-half persons on the average
and this would require that every hog
In the state would have to be slaught.
cred during the year: whereas.
large percentage of them are kent
ever for breeding stock In the case
OF Idaho, with population of 325. 5s4.
we have a hog population of 1924.
which case, we have a little over
one-half hog for each person. pro.
viding all were slaughtered II can
De readily seen that these two states
do not In themselves produce nearly
enough pork for their own supply