Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1922-05-03
How to Make Profits on Hogs
This Year.

The hog is certainly promising
means of securing an extra payday
on the cotton farm. But if this pay
day is to be all it should be, we can't
raise hogs as our daddies did.
It is just as necessary to keep costs
low in hog production as in cotton
farming. Therefore let US consider
some of the fundamental practices in
cheap production of hogs as gathered
from the experience of those farmers
who have succeeded in that work.
The Progressive Farmers motto
1. Let the pigs do the work. Take
ssHogs that graze-not housed in
pens" The place for hogs is in fields
planted especially for them. We can
not afford to go into TIE fields and
gather the crops, cure them properly,
haul them in, put them up in the
barn, take them down again and de-
liver them at the feed trough. Sue
cessful hog growers are letting the
pigs do the wcrk of harvesting the
crop and feeding themselves. AS
somebody has said: "Don't wait on
hogs as if they were hotel guests.
Make them wait on themselves"
2. Plant as nearly twelve months
of pasture for your hogs as possible.
Successful hog raisers in our terri
tory find that hogs can be produced
most cheaply by having something
green for them to pasture on at all
times. Oats, rye, wheat and rape are
used for winter and early spring pas
tire. Alfalfa makes good spring and
summer pasture. Cow peas, sorghum,
soy beans, corn, velvet beans, pea
nuts, sweet potatoes and chufas can
be made to furnish good green for
age as well as mature crops for hog
pasture in season. Work it out for
yourself. You will find you can quite
easily get the needed pasture for the
full twelve months, except when
weather conditions are extreme.
8. Keep self feeder in the field.
Hogs need green feed but cannot
make best gains on green food alone.
While on green forage, the self
feeder full of corn should be right
in the field with them when they
can get all the corn they need when
they want it. Do not be afraid they
will waste corn. They won't. They
will turn it into the cheapest pork you
can produce. Another self-feeder
with tankage would be helpful dur
ing the season when the pigs are pas
turing on growing wheat, rye or oats,
or when on sorghum alone, or in
fact, any other green feed.
Where cheaper feeds than corn are
available, like soy becns, peanuts.
-=wSsC p05au0es, It may be more eco
nomical to limit the corn to one-quar-
ter or one-third of a full ration. If
this is desired then the self-feeder
cannot be used, but the corn must
be hand fed so the quantity can be
limited.
4. Protect hogs from lice, worms
and cholera. Stop the lice as soon as
they make their appearance. Immu-
nize against cholera.
5. Keep a mineral mixture always
before the hogs. Charcoal, wood ash
es, salt, air-slaked lime, sulphur and
pulverized copperas should be where
the hogs can get to it at all times.
1t helps keep them thrifty and in
good growing condition.
6. Sell hogs before they get big
enough to eat up all the profit. Hogs
make best gains when young. The
market usually pays best for hogs
weighing 200 to ESQ pounds. Ex-
perienced hog growers try to sell
just as soon as the weight reaches
200 pounds. "Never let a. pork hog
have birthday" is a good motto.
7. Join with your neighbors and
sell comparatively. Get the best mar
ket price. Your county agent will
help you. See him about this matter.
Keep the above points in mind in
working out your plans for hog pro-
duction. Work out the details care
fully. Grow into the business grad
ually. Do not plunge. Keep costs to
minimum by doing those things
which will insuremost rapid and eco
nomical growth Of pork. What is best
e.. L