Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1912-01-26
Pork Production in Tie
Intermountain County
by w. L. Carlyle, Dean and plreeaor,
Idaho state University.

Many farmers believe that Il 10 inn
possible 70 raise hogs. and produce
pork in this intermountain country at
profit. Some, and perhaps the ma
.fority Of them. believe that hogs can
not be grown and fattened at
a profit In any country where
corn cannot be abundantly and
,cheapy grown; in fact, they are
not backward in expressing their con-
viction that hogs cannot be grown and
fattened without corn. After some
years experience in hog growing and
fatteaing in this western country, we
are convinced 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.
II may be said that there are Ave
prime factors that have to do with
profitable pork production in any coun-
try; these are, first, the ability, ex-
perience and taste of the farmer; sec
ond, the nature of the climate; third,
the character of the soil, and its ca
pacity 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 briefly these
FIVE factors, and apply them to our
conditions. and see how nearly we fill
the bill In this section. In the first in.
stance, we have as progressive lot OF
farmers as may be found in any sec
ton of the country. It is true that
many, In fact, most OF them have not
that knowledge and skill in the bust
insures success, but this skill and
knowledge can be secured in very
short time with little practical ex-
periencs and careful study. II can,
therefore, be said that In &c far as the
irst factor is concerned that our con-
ditions are favorable.
AS regards the climate, this section
cannot be excelled in any other part
of this continent for hog raising. This
is broad statement, but believe the
facts substantiate 1t. The weather is
uniformly dry, the seasons are modcr-
ate, the air pure and invigorating and
the sunshine abundant and strong.
There is only one serious objection to
our climate from the hogs standpoint
and that Is our extreme variation OF
temperature in each twenty-four hours;
and this objection, while very serious
one, II not guarded against. is very
readily overcome. The hog Is by ma
ture semi-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 perspirati0n or sweat glands in his
skin, and though he be semi-tropical
animal naturally, Is very easily over
come with heat. Most other animals,
including man, are providenually
equipped with a means of cooling tho
surface of their bodies through tho
evaporation of the perspiration which
exudes from the open pores of their
skin whenever the temperature of the
body rises abnormally. This mer-
ciful provision of nature has
been denied the hog consequent
ly, when he is exposed to the
burning hot sun during the middle of
the day. and his body becomes over
heated. he should be provided with
some kind OF shelter or shade and
with some means of supplying mois-
ture for evaporation from the surface
of his body On the other hand, when
the sun goes down. and the chill air
from the mountains descends into
the valleys In the evening. or during
the night, the hog having no ade-
Quate covering OF hair is very readily
chilled. The result OF which Is very
apt to be serious loss from pneu.
monia and other pulmonary troubles.
particularly in the case of young pigs
and very fat animals. In summer. IL
Is important, therefore that hogs
should be furnished with some shell
ter In the fields. We provide small
"A"-shaped. eight-foot square hog
houses. These are cheap, easily
moved from place TO place and an
swer every purpose. both for shelter
from the sun and from the cool night
air. providing, they are we'll venti-
lated. In addition TO adequate shell
ter all pasture lots for hogs in sum-
mer should be provided with bath"
In which the animals can 90 at will,
not so much to clean their bodies as
to cool themselves Hogs should not
be forced to make a wallOw in some
dirty. filthy, stagnant pool OF water
In order TO cool themselves Provide
each pasture lot with a small tank
eight by eight feet square and ten
inches deep. made OF plank or con
crete. set into the ground and have
this supplied with fresh. clean water
once or twice n week. which will not
hold TO exceed two or three barrels,
and TO this bath. each week. you
should adj about two quarts o. some
good coal tar dlsiniactalt II viii be
found an excellent Drecaution against