The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-10-11
HAPPENING SOUTHERN HOGS

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 reanuIs, velvel beans, sweet potatoes and chufas are growing in importance for fattening nogs in the south, the ani- mals doing their own harvesting. Pea nuts are especially important, and it is very unlikely that the southern farmers will find more profitable method of dis posing of them than by feeding to hogs and finishing the hogs on other feeds to harden the flesh. This latter step is nec- essary because a diet of peanuts alone makes soft pork.
 Soft hogs are objected to for three main reasons. First piece of soft pork is very undesirable piece of meat and Is objected to by the consumer; second the lard rendered from soft-bodied hogs never sets we'll and is undesirable from both the packers and the consumes standpoint; third, soft pork never cures as well as hard pork.
 Meat packers question the quality o1 the meat from hogs fed peanuts and other similar feeds that produce soft pork, and they are not unreasonable ir doing this, as refrigeration will not harden the carcasses of hogs fed solely on feeds of this character On the other hand, packers will not believe that soft carcasses can be hardened if fed the proper ration for a certain length of tint before killing This attitude is not jus tiffed, however, for there are sufficient experimental data at hand to prove thai soft-bodied hogs can be made firm il they are fed the proper feeds or com bfnation of feeds.
 Corn alone will eventually harden soft bodied hogs if fed during the latter pat of the feeding period for four to eight weeks, or as large part of the ratior during the entire time the pigs are or feed However, hogs will not grow rapid ly enough on corn alone to put on quick finish. and the time and feed in volved in hardening the carcass make this practice most expensive one. Th is true no matter what the price c corn may be, and it is especially true a the present time when corn is high i, price.
 A ration composed of two-thirds corr and one-third cotton seed meal IS an ex ceilent hardening ration if the hogs ar, not to he fed for more than q days | the finishing and hardening period 1. longer than 21 days, the proportion o cotton seed meal should be reduced tt one-sixth of the whole ration, and tht inishing period should not extend oyel five weeks. Cotton seed meal has pois onous effect upon swine when fed 1T large quantities for a period of more th,s % days. It should be used very care fully.
 Sweet potatoes have been fed to hogs with some degfee of success particular. ly in the south. They have been tei both raw and cooked, and the hogs have also been allowed to do their own har. vesting. Numerous attempts have beer made to maintain hogs on sweet pota toes alone. but like Irish potatoes alone this ra tion has proved unprofitable. Sweet potatoes have considerable value, how ever. in a prorarly balanced ration.
 Because of the expense of harvesting and storing sweet potatoes, profit real. ized from feeding them to hogs is pos sible only when the hogs arc allowed t do their own harvesting. If the hog; successfully harvest the sweet potatoe: they are doubtless a cheaper feed thar corn on sandy soils that yield from | to IS times as many bushels of swee potatoes as corn, although the averag, yield of sweet potatoes Is less than 3 bushels per acre, some farms raising q! many as POO bushels.
 Sweet potatoes are considered the bes root crop for pigs for fall and early win ter grazing on the cut-over pine land' of the south. The roots are low in pro teinf however and when pigs are al lowed to harvest them some grain alway, should be given in addition.
 South of central Alabama. where ths beans will mature, velvet beans.I althougl q new crop. are giving excellent result. for hog and cattle grazing They art usually planted with some supporting crop. corn or sorghum, in alternate row. or both in the same row. as they grow best when held up from the ground. Ii planted in May or June in four-fool rows at the rate of one peck per acre the earlier varieties should be ready fpl grazing in October and November. Ons acre will furnish as much grazing as ar acre of peanuts.
 s Chufas with their small. nut-like tubar: yield large amounts of fattening forage for hogs Planted in the early spring at the rate of one peck to the acre, they should be ready to pasture late in ths fall or during the winter. Some pro- tein food such as tankage or cotton seed meal should be fed in addition to hal- ance the ration, for the chufas are large