Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-11-01
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION
az DR.. ANDREW NJ SOULE

of pork production at this time? For
| the simple reason that the purchase
of two brood sows can be made at
a relatively low cost. In other
| words, the landowner will not have
to invest much money to make a
start in swine production. Two good
brood soWs reasonably fed and
cared for should raise two filters
of pigs each year. There is no
reason why twenty head of pigs
fallowed should not be brought to
maturity. On the average farm
three Of them would be needed to
supply pork for home consumption.
leaving seventeen to sell. If these
hogs reach weight of $50 pounds,
as they should if properly handled,
then at ten cents per pound they
will bring in to the landowner $425.
This is equivalent to the amount he
would receive for four or five bales
of cotton, depending on market
prices. It enables him within the
course of a year to add to his IN
come several hundreds dollars ana
to make up part of the losses he
sustains through boil weevil dam
age and the reduction in his cotton
acreage. Everyone who has had ex-
perlence with hogs knows that the
ends indicated may be achieved by
those who give this type of amman
husbandry a fair chance.
Someone will say that if this prac.
tice were followed on every farm we
would soon overdo the swine bust.
ness. That is not likely to occur
for long time to come. One of our
packing plants in Georgia which
could handle six hundred or eight
hundred thousand hogs a year, is
now securing barely two hundred
thousand. There are many other
packing plants which have closed
w and are now rusting out of idle
Eess because they cannot, secure an
adequate number Of hogs to enable
them to operate profitably. A pack
ing plant to succeed must do a big
enough volume Of business to pay
for the overhead, which is Of neces.
sity heavy.
By following out the suggestions
indicated we can put millions of idle
acres of land to profitable use next
year. keep our cotton acreage on
a safe and rational basis, provide
both our rural and urban populations
with a choice quality of desirable
meat, and develop a type of animal
industry in Georgia essential to the
maintenance of our agriculture on a
desirable basis.
If we ar egoing to engage in swine
husbandry there are certain things
to which attention must be directed
Immediately. First Of all, expensive
shelters are not needed, but there
should be a movable hog house on
every farm for each brood SOW kept.
This hog house should be we'll floor
ed and shout dbe built on runners
so it can be moved readily from
place to place. A roof of building
paper should be satisfactory. It
should be well ventilated by means
Of a large window facing the south
1t represents about the only equip
ment needed to take care Of the
brood SOW and her young satisfac-
torily.
Next an area of land should be
selected on the farm according to it's
size and the number Of hogs it is
desired to keep. For two brood sows
five acres should be placed under
permanent fence. For four brood
soWs say seven and a half acres
should be placed under fence, and for
eight brood sows, fifteen acres. A
pasture should be contiguous to the
fenced-in land of five acres and up
wards depending on the brood sows
kept. The plats should vary in size
from one and a half to two and a
half acres. A strong gate should be
provided opening on lane-way
which adjoins the permanent pasture.
When this has been accomplished
proceed to break and prepare the
land and sow tn efollowing crops
For winter pasture seed one area to
oats or rye. The sooner the planting
is accomplished the better. The
seeding can, Of course, be done up
to November list in north Georgia
and as late as December list in
south Georgia. A much larger
amount Of grazing will be obtained
from early seeding. OF oats SOW
two bushels per acre, and Of rye,
one bushel. We prefer to drill the
crops in whenever practicable. Some.
times it may be necessary to SOW
broadcast. In that event the seed
oi1outo NC very carefully ana uni
formly covered Hogs may be turned
on these crops when they are 6 to
8 inches high In a favorable sea-
son much grazing can often be OBJ
tanned from December on. An acre
Of oats or rye will carry about ten
hogs. The length Of time they can
Craze thereon varies much with sea.
sonal conditions and the richness of
he soil.
Rape is an excellent crop for hogs.
1t may be seeded in the southern
part Of Georgia any time from Octo
Der 18th to February 18th. We do
not consider it a satisfactory crop
for planting in the fall in north
Georgia. 1t may be sown in the
spring, however, about the first of
February. Use pounds of seed
per acre and plant in drills "a to &c
inches apart. We prefer a relative.
ly narrow drill for this crop
Hogs may begin grazing on rape