The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-12-25
TURNED INTO PORK

Pork production in Florida is not
receiving the attention it deserves.
At the present time there are more
than = million head Of hogs in the
state, but this number does not begin
to supply the demand fer pork. ac-
cordlng to John II. SceGt. of the
State ExpeEimAak Sta13aGL at Gaines
vile. Fla. Twenty-Five per cent. or
more, Of the pork consumed in Flor
ida Is produced in states farther
north. Florida farmers can oerttrn-
ly produce pork more cheaply than
the cost of production elsewhere, plus
the freight.
To make the largest profit from
hogs they should b put on the mar
ket ut the youngest age possible.
Many Of the native hogs are from
one year to . year and a half old be-
fore they are ready for the market.
The Florida market demands hog
that viii weigh ITS to 800 pounds,
and animals Of such weight can be
produced in eight to twelve months.
When they must be kept and fed for
. year to Q year and q half the risk
Of loss and the cost of feed becomes
too great to yield an assured profit.
IF we are to get the largest posi-
BE returns from raising hogs it will
be necessary to make the hogs pay
for their keep, and one of the best
ways to do this will be to Insist upon
them harvesting the crops grown for
feed. The cost of harvesting the va
rious crops adds considerably to the
cost of production. This, in a meas
ure, explains the high cost of produc-
ti0n when we try to raise hogs by
keeping them in small pens. When
they are kept in small pens we not
only have to harvest and carry the
feed to them, but in many csaes also
the water which they drink, there
fore we should make the hogs harvest
as many of the crops as is practical
BILE.
In the small pen it is impossible to
keep the animals under sanitary con-
ditions, and if they are not kept un-
der healthy conditions we are invit-
ing disease to visit the herd, which
means loss instead of a profit
The increased production of corn,
oats, barley and rye in 1917 over the
production in 1916 is 965,957 900
bushels. OF this increase, more than
607 million bushels is corn. What
will the farmers do with this greatly
increased supply of feed? Perhaps
the best answer that can be given IN
Florida, says the University of Flor
ida extension division, is that it will
be turned into pork.
The first season of production in
the war emergency campaign shows
this market increase in surplus grain
feeds. 1t also shows a marked de-
crease in the number of hogs on the
farms. Florida is not raising as many
hogs as the state will support. The
number should be greatly increased
to consume the large amounts of
grain, succulent pasture and legumes
that haze been produced and can be
produced in the state.
=. Marketing the crop by way of
the hog has proved profitable in the
past and will doubtless continue to
be the best way of handling it. Or
Is to 80 per cent of the corn
produced is fed to livestock With the
above normal greater
must be fed in order to
make the remainder marketable at a
profit. Over-production with no mar
ket for the surplus not only reduces
the value of the crop but works to
defeat great planting the next year
And production must not decline dur
ing this war emergency.