The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1920-08-05

of country that demanded them, there
has hardly been time during the
last three years that hog production
would not have been profitable
business.
Before we contemplate an in
crease in stock hog production we
must look for a market where stock
| hogs can be finished economically.
Southwestern Idaho can readily find
this demand by supplying stock hogs
for the pea grain fields of the Inland
Empire surrounding and adjacent to
Spokane.
Finishing Hogs On Pea Fields.
practical demonstrations in many
of the large wheat growing sections
of the Inland Empire have shown
that winter wheat following field
peas outyields the winter wheat fol-
| lowing summer fallow Years of
wheat growing under summer fallow
methods have gradually consumed
the available humus Of the grain Sec
tions, so that the soil fails to con-
serve enough moisture to tide the
grain crop over critical periods. Some
leguminous crop must be brought
into the rotation to supply humus
and nitrogen. AS practical tests
show the power of the field pea to
supply these plant foods and Increase
the yield of wheat, the farmers will
not be slow to make the change.
cat the present time, high prices
are being paid for the peas by seed
larger and larger acreages are plant
ed there may come time when other
means must be used for finding
market for the pea crop.
ono otbar animal [caO make
profitable use of the peas as can the
modern porker, properly developed
in size and form on alfalfa pasture,
skim milk and grain. One of the
greatest expenses of producing the
peas is the harvesting, threshing and
marketing. This the hog will do
more efficiently than any other farm
machine. In fact he is so efficient
that much of the profit of pea pro-.
duction is lost unless the peas shat
tered in harvesting are CLEANED by
hogs. Conservative estimates show
that the pea stubble, after harvested,
will carry one stock hog per acre,
and during period Of 60 to 70 days
this hog. may put on a gain OF more
than 100 pounds. This gain is from
peas that otherwise would be wasted.
"Under existing conditions OF pas
ture and growing feeds, this section
is not we'll adapted for production OF
stock hogs in sufficient number to
begin to supply the demand for the
pea fields. They must depend upon
other sections, where pasture and
feed enable the production of stock
hogs at profit. The farmers in the
pea sections last year paid as much
as $500 per hundred premium over
fat hog prices.
s'The heavy slump in hog prices
following this period caused them to
sell the finished hogs at drop OF
over $500 per hundred. This heavy
drop consumed all the clear profit,
from cleaning waste and has dis
couraged the use of hogs Tor this
work. However, under normal con-
ditions the prevailing higher prices
of hogs on September markets should
continue through October.
"The stock hogs should be turned
into the stubble as early. as the crop
is harvested and then placed on the
market as soon as finished. This
should be planned so that large per
cent of the finished hogs would reach |
the market before hogs that have
been finished by hogging down corn
in the corn belt begin to fill the
markets. In order to assure this, it |
is necessary for them to have stock |
hogs weighing not less than 100
pounds on or before August l: The