River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1916-05-18
HOG" Is
LIFTING MORTGAGES
BY JAMES C. FULLER,
Experiment Station.


If properly handled, hogs will pay
profit on most Wisconsin farms.
Because they consume feed which
otherwise might be wasted, reproduce
abundantly, mature rapidly and usual
Iy return a substantial profit, hogs are
exceedingly useful and profitable ami
mails on most of the farms Of the state.
In fact on dairy, cattle or truck farms
generally swine can be kept at profit
and although many successful farm
ers as yet are raising hogs, census sta
tistics and general observations show
there is great interest in swine pro-
duction in practically every section OF
the state.
Before engaging in swine raising, it
is we'll to take an account Of avail
able feeds, accommodations and mar
ket facilities. For of course the Wis
consin farmer cannot afford to pur-
chase high-priced concentrated feed
for the sole purpose of growing and
fattening swine on 1t alone.
To succeed with swine the farmer
must know what are the market re-
quirements and which is the best type
of animal to produce and feed.
Type in swine is shown by the gen.
eral conformation in the nature, form
and finished condition. And while
many breeds are included in the same
type, they may differ widely from each
other in such detail as color, shape OF
head, or hang of ears.
At present all of the breeds are in
cluded in two types, the lard and ba-
con. Breeds that are short-legged,
deep, broad and heavy fieshed, such as
the Poland China, Duroc-Jersey, Berk-
shire and Chester White, are known
as lard hogs.
Hogs of the bacon type, on the 9th
er hand, are long, narrow, deep and
smooth of body and necessarily thin
f1eshed. The large Yorkshire and
Tamworth breeds best illustrate this
type. These are of British origin and
have been developed on heterogeneous
rations mainly composed OF grains,
grasses and dairy products.
Conditions throughout much Of Wis
consm are quite unlike those of the
corn belt states, where the great num-
Der of hogs of the lard type are pro-
duced and fattened. SO the question
is often asked, Are not Wisconsin
farms supplied with variety of grain
and dairy products better suited to
the production of hogs of the bacon
type?"
Comparative experiments show that
all breeds do about equally well I'M
der similar conditions and, for feed
consumed, usually make about the
same increase in live weight and
growth. The bacon hog, however,
dresses but from 70 to rs per cent net
of his gross weight. The lard hog, on
the other hand, dresses from 80 to IS
per cent. AS dressing percentage is
the most important factor in determ-
lining the value of hogs in the great
markets of the central West, it can be
seen why the lard type is particularly
popular in the corn and grain belt
states.
AS the large packers are able to Sc
cure much of their supply of bacon
from immature and unfinished lard
hogs, there is no large and well-es-
tablished market or demand upon the
large markets of the central West for
animals of the strictly bacon type.
And although conditions in certain
localities of this state are suitable for
the production of bacon hogs of high
quality, their breeding and feeding
should not be undertaken with the
idea of marketing them IN competition
with animals of the lard type. The
bacon hog is an excellent source of
home-cured pork and where there is
local or special market demand suffi-
cient to insure good profit over the
cost of production, the raising of
bacon animals may well be encour-
aged.