The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-01-20
PROFIT IN RAISING
FLORIDA PORK
COnciusively Proven by Experiences
Related by Members of the Swine
Growers Convention

service, Gainesville, to make talk to
the assembly on "Why the South
Should Raise It's Own Pork" Mr..
Hiatt spoke. briefly on the fact that
the farmer could raise hogs cheaply
enough to sell at a profit, provided he
fed them on cheap feeds, and that in
Florida more than any other state
cheap feed could be produced and that
in the south much more than in the
north. Mr.. Hiatt stated that a great
change has come over the south in the
past few years. The farmers had been
producing chiefly cotton, but the boil
. weevil came and ruined the cotton
prospects. Now the southern farmer
is turning to the more staple crops
and is raising foodstuffs. He pointed
out the fact that more money could be
made by raising hogs than by selling
the grain that it takes to fatten them.
Mr.. Hiatt advises against worrying
about the low prices for hogs today
because he says it is possible to raise
them at nice margin of profit even
at the present low prices and that
prices are bound to rise. Iowa is a
great, if not the greatest, hog produc-
ing state in the Union. Mr.. Hiatt
contrasted Iowa with Florida and
showed that Florida had the advant-
age. Iowa has better corn producing
land and can raise more corn to the
acre but Florida can raise a crop of
corn, velvet beans, peanuts and green
pasturage in one year because of her
superior climatic conditions. At the
end of the year Florida has the ad-
vantage of about 200 pounds of hog
fat to the acre over Iowa. Mr.. Hiatt
says that market for the products is
our greatest trouble and cites Scent
hogs and 35-eent pork chops as an ex-
ample. He says that the people of
Florida must be educated to know
that there are other parts of the hog
besides the chops. The butchers say
that it is almost impossible to sell
some parts of the hog at all so they
have to charge high for what they do
sell. Mr.. Hiatt favors educating the
farmer to cut and cure his meat bet
ter. He says that four or five years
ago fully so per cent of the meat
killed spoiled because of improper
handling. This condition is probably
a little better now but is still alarm.
ing i'm it's extent. Poorly and irregu.
larly cut meat and poorly cured meat
are responsible today for the fact
that the buyers prefer Armour, Swift
Wilson or other packers hams tc
Florida hams. Statistics show thai
Florida and Georgia send 81 900, ,00(
a year to northern markets for meat
1t is up to US to prepare our owl
meat in such way that our local peo
pie win prefer it and ask for it.
Mr.. Sellers of Jacksonville made
short talk along the same line of edu
eating Florida people to eat Floridl
meat and to teach them various way
to use other portions of the hog tha
now go to waste.
Mr.. Gum gave brief talk on con
ditions in central Florida. He sal
that hog raising in Alachua county
his home, was in its infancy. He sal
the farmers there made grave mis-
take in starting to raise hogs befor
they started raising the crops to fee
the hogs. They bought hogs withou
first learning what it would take {
feed the hogs and the ylost none!
but they have profted by their mi:
takes and are beginning to make
strides ahead now.
Mr.. Bass spoke of conditions j
south Florida. He says that the pee
= pie with whom he is connected theI
made some feed tests and found ths
hogs cost less per pound if fed on
combination of slop feed and gree
pasturage. Dead pasturage was M
so profitable.
Speaking for West Florida was M
Clayton. He said that his section d
not have near enough hogs. He wan
the association to hold a meeting ar
sale there to stimulate hog raisin
He claims that the land there is ches
and that it is the best corn land in tt
state. To date west Florida has shi
ped only a few cars of hogs but NJ
Clayton says the country is capab
of raising more if the farmers can
started in the industry.
Mr.. w. M. Traer of Jacksonvil
secretary of the association, gave
talk upon the conditions in Georg
as he. saw them on a. recent visit
Ashburn, Turner county. Mr.. Ira
said that he attended a sale of DO
and breed hogs and that the sale W
success; 500 pork hogs and go bre
hogs were sold in two days. He t.
of new creamery at Ashburn tt
he said might be of interest to Ocs
and Marion county. This creame
produced 10000 pounds of butter {
month and 1900 pounds the next.