Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1916-06-30

More Than 50 ParishesNow Organized
The Wonderful Record Of Mad.
ison Parish Boy
Last Year.
THE Progressive Farmer.)

Pig clubs were organized in As parishes
in Louisiana in 1915, with total enroll
ment of 1872 members. These boys
raised ,l66 pigs.
The average value of the pigs at the
time Of purchase was $7.S9. and the
average weight, 81 pounds. The average
value at the time of making reports was
$2s.63, and the average weight was 1873
pounds.
The value of the pork produced by
these boys at six cents per pound was
SIC, 563.96. The average cost of raising
the pork was four cents per pound. This
shows that the hogs were considered more
valuable as pure-bred stock than as pork
alone. One of the very valuable things
that the pig clue work is doing is to inn
prove the farm stock in the State.
There were $50 pigs exhibited at the
parish fairs inf 1915 and 2O9 pigs were
sent to the State Fair. They were hauled
free OF charge by the railroad companies,
and the State Fair Association paid all
the other expenses of the exhibits. This
made it possible for many boys with good
pigs to exhibit them at the State Fair.
Pig club work has been undertaken in
seven or eight additional parishes in 1916.
One of the big factors this year in stimu-
lating the work is the help of of the banks
and the swine breeders. In 1915, one of
the banks of Lake Charles, bought SO
pigs for the boys in Calcasieu parish, and
so of the boys have already made ar
rangements to repay the loan. One Of
the banks of the State says that it has
eleven new depositors, men who were
brought in through the influence of the
pig club boys.
In one parish hog breeder has agreed
to furnish any pig club boy in his iparish
with a SOW pig, the boy to repay him
next winter with two pigs from his SOW
when she is grown. In this way the boy
does not have to spend any money to OBJ
tain his pig, and is assured of market when
his pigs are grown. The ony thing that
is required is that the boy will have to
care for his pig properly, and any time
the agent finds he is not doing this the
pig will be taken away from him and re-
turned to its original owner.
John Robert Reid, an eleven-year-old
pig club boy of Tallulah, Madison parish,
Louisiana, started new era in the pig
club work and set a shining example to
the other pig club boys of the State when
he brought to the State Fair last fall
pure-bred Duroc-Jersey and a litter of
nine seven-months-old pure-bred pigs.
This exhibit was proof that this boy is in
the work to stay, whereas a boy who
raises only one pig may or may not begin
the work again next spring.
With his exhibits, Master Reid won
cash prizes as follows: $25 for the best
litter of Duroc-Jerseys; $50 for the best
litter of any breed; 500 for the champion
SOW of any breed; So and S. for first and
second junior sow pig; S. and SIS for first
and second junior boar pig; and So for
the second best aged SOW, Duroc-Jersey.
His pure-bred boar won a prize of $40 Of
fered for the champion boar of any breed.
In addition to the cash prizes, which
amounted to 1922, young Reid sold four
of his prIze-winning pigs for total of
$3.50. He still has his champion boar
and six sows, which he says are not for
sale, as he expects to continue in the club
work and to compete for prizes again
next year.
Master Reid was one of the l25 prize
winning club members to be awarded a
scholarship at the winter short course at
the Louisiana State University.
w. H. BALLS, STATE AGENT.
Baton Rouge, La.