Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-11-30

prepared by the United States Depart !
ment OF Agriculture.)
No branch of livestock farming |
gives better results than the raising of |
well-bred swine when conducted with |
reasonable amount of intelligence. !
The hog is one of the most important !
animals to raise on the farm, either |
for meat or for profit, and no farm is |
complete unless some hogs are kept |
to aid in the modern method of farm |
ing. The farmers of the South and |
West, awakening to the merits of the
hog, are rapidly increasing their out
put of pork and their bank accounts.
The hog requires less labor, less equip
ment, less capital, and makes greater
gains per hundred pounds of concen-
trates than any other farm animal,
and reprOduces himself faster and in
greater numbers; and returns the
money invested more quickly than any
other farm animal except poultry.
In the trucking and miXed-farming
sections of the United States hogs are
used to consume various unmarketable
substances. The value of milk is
known on every farm, although it may
not be fully appreciated, and any one
who has fed pigs knows the keen ap-
petite they have for milk and its prod
ucts. In the neighborhood of many
large dairieS pork production has be-
| come a very prominent and lucrative
| supplement to the dairy industry The
| hog is also large factor in cheapen-
| ing the production of beef. Hogs are
| placed in the cattle feed lots to utilize
the corn and other feeds which the
cattle have failed to digest and which
otherwise would be wasted. Hogs fol-
lowing steers in many cases have in
creased the profit per steer by from Sc
to SO. Farmers and hotel and restaur-
ant owners are using kitchen refuse to
produce salable pork. In fact, as
consumer of by-products the hog has
no rival.
However, this propensity in many
instances is being taken unfair advan-
| tage Of through ignorance and lack of
care. Milk products, animal Offal, ETC.,
which contain disease germs, especial
ly those of tuberculosis, are given to
hogs. This practice not only results
in spreading disease but causes loss in
nation at slaughter.
Hog-Growing Sections.
The first place in hog raising in the
United States is easily with the corn
NH ic, 6a
6rst grain thought of when the fatten-
ing of hogs is considered. 1t is, how
ever, faIlacious to argue that hog rails
ing will not give profitable returns out
side of the corn belt. The corn belt
has great advantages for economical
pork production, but it also has its dis
advantages. The cheapness and abun-
dance of corn in this section have
often led farmers to use it as the eX-
, elusive grain feed. Breeding stock SO
fed does not thrive well and is not SO
prolific as when given a varied ration
and when used for fattening, an eX-
elusive corn diet is not generally prof
table The work of the agricultural
| colleges and experiment stations dur
ing recent years has done much to
> show breeders and feeders the undesir
ability of this practice, and the in
creasing price of corn has forced farm
ers to economize in its use as much as
possible.
e The few states comprising the corr
. belt are the source of supply for ;
8 great amount of swine products, espe
! fhnf
= sumed in other portions of the coun
= try. Yet the advantages Of these corn
), belt states are little, if at all, superio
to those of many others outside of tina
, district The South has an abundanc
= Of vegetation. Cowpeas, soy beans
9 velvet beans and peanuts are legumi
Q nous crops peculiar to that sectio
! which have great value in pig raising
n Corn grows readily in all parts of tn
:. South. and in the subtropical section
>. the experience of feeders with caSSav
n seems to indicate that it has consider
: able value for pork production. 1
addition there is generally an abuI
>. dant water supply; the climate is mil
- and there is long period during wh1c
- pense of shelter and winter feeding
greatly lessened. These conditions
,s giving a long period of pasture an
:, outdoor life, enhance thrift and wit
proper management insure great fre,
10 dom from disease.
r The East is peculiarly adapted
IS hog raising in view of the fact tht
o. markets for fresh pork and cure
products may be found in local con
lnunities as well as in the larger citit
and the various coast resorts. AS r
40 CARDS feeds, corn is being grown su
N cessfully in the East, and in some Sc
a tions the average yield per acre
~ greater than that of the middle Yves
Glover, blue grass, and many other fo
~, age crops especially adapted for swiI
1a production grow rapidly in near
a every section of the East. In the true
ing sections there is wasted annual
- Il vast quantity of unmarketable pro
-, ucts that might be used with profit
:. feeding hogs The dairy distric
or offer an advantage to the hog raiser
- furnishing such by-products as ski
- milk and buttermilk, which are esp
Nv cially relished and proftably utilize
oh by growing pigs.
- In the extreme West the alfalfa
- the irrigated valleys and the clover
nt the coast districts offer a splend
ho foundation for successful pork produ
49, ton. In most of these regions the
,@ is an abundance of small grain, part
hn
ed ul'iiS '"iie'' 'A-''' --
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ch ALFALFA CROP SCORES AGAI