The Benson signal., 1919-03-01

crop estimates there 65,066,OOO hogs in the
United States, of which 29,651, 900 animals, 455
per cent, farms in the six corn belt states
Of Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Missouri Indiana, and
Ohio, while 21,7560O0 porkers 33.4 per cent.
are located in the Is Southern states, and the
remaining oil per cent are distributed over the
remaining 27 states of the Union. Under pres
ent conditions the South ranks second only to the
corn belt as the leading pork-producing section of
the country. The remarkable fact about the
growth Of the hog business in the cotton states is
that it has developed rapidly during the last five
years a direct result of the unttring efforts OF
county agents to popularize pork production.
Climatically the South is the ideal livestock Sec
tion of this country and present indications are
that it Is en- route to come into It's own
Indicative Of the rapid rise of the pork indus
try II counties of southern Alabama, although
they did not ship to market a single carload of
hogs during the year 1912-1913 marketed 1882
carloads of hogs during the period from April 1,
1917 to April 1, 1913. Mississippi exported 1924
hogs in 1914 while in 1917 she disposed of 49, 730
fat porkers an increase Of 1.224 per cent. For
the most part, the Southern hogs developed
inexpensively, such forage crops as soy beans,
peanuts cowpeas, chufas, potatoes, native grasses
and clover, while corn is used as finish feed to
firm compact and "blocm" the flesh to the desr-
able market quality.
The hog supply has developed with the increase
in corn production. In 1909 North Carolina raised
100000 bushels of corn, while in 1913 it har-
vested 64,3650 600 bushels and fattened 100000
hogs Georgia produced approximately 29,475,OOO
bushels in 1918 than in 1902 and dur
ing 1918 handled 2,507 900 hogs Similarly in the
case of the other Southern states increased yields
Of corn and pork have been intimately related,
while the exigencies Of wartime production have
speeded up the farmers and, largely in accord
with high market values have expedited pork
o11fa otY1YQ mi of otQr
hay production, cattle have been kept in the
South In 1914 Mississippi marketed only 86,229
fat cattle while in 1915 it shipped 156237 ami
mails to the ST. Louis market increase of 181
per cent. During 1915 Mississippi farmers sold
685O head Of sheep in ST. Louis while in 1917
they shipped 1917 sheep to the same market an
increase of 232 per cent.
Reports show 1,47O4O8 women actively engaged
in regular and emergency war work in the South
ern states during 1917 while 9S0,272 girls assisted
along similar lines; total of 2,6O6213 women
and girls worked to help win the war by garden
ing poultry production canning and drying fruits,
vegetables and meats, butter making and cheese
making Their achievements partially pic
tured in 2OO,0OOO00 cans of fruits and vegetables
now awaiting consumption In Southern store
rooms and pantrieS. Impartial opinion states that
during the last u months the Southern states
have canned and preserved 500 per cent more
fruits and vegetables than in any similar period
in the last half century.
The 62227 women enrolled in 3,S12 Southern
clubs receAtly have put up 34,993677 cans of
vegetables and fruits worth over $7OO0OOO. In
addition they have prepared over 2750 tons of
dried fruits and vegetables, and brined, picked
and stored 500 additional tons of vegetables. The
1906 Southern girls engaged in regular club
work raised and canned S,882,OOO cans of vege-
tables worth $15OO,OOO, as well as canning an ad-
dtiOnaI 3961,O0O containers of fruits and vegeta-
bes which they did not raise themselves.
Boys club work has also developed on amaz-
ing scale because of the persevering and
scientous work Of the county agents. During 1917