Morris tribune., 1914-02-27


was here we raised few hogs at a
loss per head. The next year we
raised more at profit: the next year
the same, and this year we raised
about $3.50 worth of hogs. During
this last year things we're so arranged
that we got a good idea of what this
$3.50 worth of hogs cost US. We
bought only $25 worth of mill feed.
We estimated as close as possible that
it took about 80 acres of our landSto
raise the feed for these hogs. There
were 15 acres of pasture. They have
the run of 30 acre pasture with
other stock. We sowed 8 acres of
oats in which the pigs were turned
when the oats we're ripe. During the
month OF September we turned the hogs
into some corn with some cows and
calves. The rest of the 80 acres we
estimated furnished the food for the
carrying of the brood sows from the
1st of September until corn came in
September of this year. This makes
a gross return of about $18 an acre,
which is very good, we consider.
where there is no expense for harvest
on seven-eights of these acres. the
hogs doing their own harvesting. 1t
wuold be an expensive wheat crop that
would produce that much. So we fell
/ that the hogs we're raised at nice
profit.
We raised 10 shoats. II of them
averaged 121 pounds and netted US
little over SIS head. We consider
that it is more profitable to have the
pigs farrowed in the fall and sell them
about the first of the following De-
cember than it is to carry them
through the cold weather.
One good thing about raising hogs
is that the initial investment is not
great. We had 16 brood sows and
raised 11O shoats. The others were
used for brood sows and marketing
purposes.
Shelter need not be very expen-
sive. Up to the present year our
brood sows have been carried over
in cheap shed. In the spring we
turned out all the stock we could
and used that shed for farrowing
pens.
There is another large item that
comes in in handling lan1 in this
manner. 1t does not show as direct
credit to the hogs raised. We con-
slider that this land that has been used
in this manner is worth to US at least
SIS an acre more for the raising of
: crops than as though we had marketed
crop. The neld of oats had no labor
expended on it for harl esting; the
: field of corn had no labor expended on
it for harvesting. We think we get
} better results from this corn stalk
land by not blowing it. We disc il
r and SOW the grain in that way.
: AS matter of fact, we sold ST.,
r 500 worth of hogs in 1913. We mar.
1 keted these $500 worth of hogs ir
nine loads. Now, where you have &
long haul, as we have, nearly ter
miles. the matter of Saving labor is
Y very expensive one.
l That is our experience in raising
hogs up to the first of this year, anC
S we consider it very profitable one
: | would say that consider chol
/ era a very serious proposition. W.
= have Ia brood sows left out of the
: 81 that we saved. Perhaps had w
t got to work in little better SHAPE
e we might have had better showing
to make. l realize that to anyonr
. who IS depending on his hogs for hi
: interest and living expenses, to los'
J. them is serious indeed. But is j
:. any more serious to lose hogs thai
:, to lose wheat or any other crop? W,
S do not quit raising wheat on that &C
! count. Neither do / feel that becaus
n we have lost some hogs this year witt
i hog cholera that we should becom
e discouraged on that line. If we ar,
Il going to make a business of raising
n hogs, we must fight this disease ant
l. do it the best we can And if vi
It fight it and secure the best know
n ledge we can. we will come ou
;e ahead
d feel that to the young man who j
s today starting farming for himself
# the proposition would be to cut hi
k grain farming in half and devote tha
n other half of his time and capital t
y the raising of hogs. For few hun
K dred dollars he can have a stock Q
II hogs and turn it as quick as he can
i crcp of wheat. And ! fell that in
i few years anyone doing this will b
! way ahead of any one who devotes hi
i time to raising small grain.
! For the past fifteen years we hav
. not known as much about farming an
hou 81, bondlo fbinoc RI make thar