The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1915-03-18
PORK PRODUCTION
CONTEST FOR 1915

.
North Dakota boys and girls have
demonstrated that North Dakota is in
the best part of the pork production
belt. The two contests held in 1918
and 1914 have proved to be Of national
importance. The results secured have
been a stimulant to the pork produc
tion industry of the whole nation, be-
sides calling attention to the oppor
Sunities of pork production in North
Dakota. These two pork production
contests have been more widely writ
ten up than anything else carried on
In the state and have been instru,
mental in changing the opinion OF
North Dakota. It used to be looked
apon as a purely grain state, but the
boys and girls are making it to take
rank as one of the best pork produc'
ton states.
A new contest is being announced
for 1915 by the Better Farming Sec
tion of the North Dakota experiment
station. More prizes will be offered
this year than ever before. Two of
the large hog registry associations
will offer cash prizes in addition to
the regular prizes. The regular prizes
are as follows: First, 500; second,
$50; third, $50; fourth, $25; fifth, SIS;
sixth to tenth, SO each; eleventh to
twenty-fourth, S. each; and the Ma
tional Duroc Jersey Record associa-
lion offers in addition to the above
three prizes of SIS, SIS and $40 to the
three contestants making the best
record in this contest with pure-bred
Duroc Jerseys, while the American
Yorkshire club offers cash prize of
SIS to the contestant who secures
the best results with Yorkshires, and
Thomas Garfield, of Lake Park, Mimi,
offers a pure-bred SOW or boar to the
contestant standing first with the
Yorkshire breed. The contestant that
secures the best results with the pure
bred Duroc Jerseys will also receive a
pure-bred SOW from Peter Rutten, of
Osakis, MINI. This makes total of
S415 in cash and two pure-bred pigs.
The purpose of the contest is to in
crease the interest in pork production.
Through the results secured each con-
testant becomes local demonstration.
The things that have been learned
from the two previous contests are
that spring pigs can be brought to
marketable size in seven months, OF
before cold weather, on North Dakota
farm feeds. It has also been demon
strated that liberal feeding is the pay.
ing way, that is, to keep the hog
growing steadily. 1t has also been
quite evident that the cheapest feed
is pasture and corn hogged down.
These results will likely be still more
marked this year, due to the high
price of grain.
In 1914 twice as many hogs were
marketed in North Dakota as in 1913.
The contests were undoubtedly one of
the factors in bringing this about.
The conditions of the contest are
THAT the boy or girl secure a sow to
farrow not later than May 1, to feed
and care for the litter and to- report
weekly the amount of feed used. The
contest is to close Nov. 20 and the
litter will be weighed by a represen-
tative of the North Dakota experiment
station. The awards are to be made
on the basis Of the largest production
from litter produced at the least
cost in the shortest time. Any boy or
girl who desires to enter the contest
should write to the North Dakota ex-
pertinent station, Agricultural college,
Fargo, for an application blank and
full particulars. Information will be