The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1923-11-16
HOG INDUSTRY In
BLAINE COUNTY
Is UNIQUE in THE HISTORY OF
LIVESTOCK BREEDING
IN STATE
Organization of Pure Bred Pig Club
Started Things; Many Prizes Won
at Billings and Helena State Fairs.
BY G. III. WILLMAN

The story of the hog industry O
Blaine county is interesting and il
many ways it is unique in the his
tory of livestock breeding. Up t.
1920 very little interest had beer
taken in the breeding of purebret
live stock excepting horses. About
this time the county agent interested
the Farmers National bank of Chin
ook in the matter of introducing pure
bred hogs into the county.
The plan formulated by the county
agent and Mr.. Burke, cashier of the
bank, was to organize pure bred pig
club and to offer one gilt as a prize
to the winner of the club contest,
with the understanding that two pigs
were to be given from her litter the
next year and two from each of those
the following year, the number in
creasing in this ratio.
John G. Cronk, president of the
Farm Bureau at that time, was in
duced to go to Iowa for the purpose
of picking up some breed of purebred
hogs to be sold to the children of
Blaine county who wished to become
pig club members. After combing
the greater part of Iowa carefully
and examining various herds of pigs
of all breeds, Mr.. Cronk finally de-
cided upon the Chester Whites, and,
accordingly, imported 10 fine gifts,
which were distributed among the
club members of the county, and the
contest was on.
Little did anyone think at that
time that this contest would lead to
anything that would be at all worth
public consideration or that it would
have especial effect upon the future
of the country. Yet it seems that
this plan created unusual interest
and led to far reaching results. Not
only did the children become inter
ested in pure bred hog raising, but
their parents also took a keen and
active part in the work, with the re-
suit that the following year the in
terest in the club work was intense
and had extended to three other
breeds, the Duroc-Jerseys, Hamp-
shires and the Poland Chinas, so that
breeding activities then started in
full swing.
Win State Prizes
One standard pig club was organ
lied in the county in 1921. 1t was
known as the Fairview Chester White |
club with G. H. Whitman as club |
leader and Garland Whitman, Beulah |
Whitman, Gustav and Julius Vercru-
yssen and Charles Belcher as club
members. This year marked addi- i
tional interest in club work as is at
tested by the fact that there were 10
competitors in the Chester White |
club, four or five in the Hampshire (
club and three in the Duroc-Jersey
club.
The Fairview Chester White club
succeeded in taking three of the four
prizes offered and, encouraged by
their success, they sent some of their
hogs to the State fair at Helena,
where together with others of the
county who sent pigs with them, they
carried off nearly 5000 in prizes and
secured two silver cups as trophies.
The following year, 1922, far
greater interest was shown in all the
club work, but in the Chester White !
class the Fairview Chester White
club carried off all four prizes and
this time extended their fair timer
airy to include Billings, where they ,
won extensively in the open classes,
as they also did at Helena, returning ,
home with nearly $500 in premiums, :
about 80 ribbons and two or three sill !
yer cups. BY this time the other
breeders of the county had also de- ,
cided that they would make a show
ing of their stock and many of them :
came back with ribbons and prem ;
iums to show that the Blaine county r
stock was on the par with the best in !
the state. !
Meetings were now called for the b
of the county for the t
purpose of pushing their respective @
breeds and three breeders associa- a
lions now exist. The Hampshire
breeders are organized as are also the
Chester White breeders and the Po- n
land China breeders. The Duroc- c
Jersey men are just getting their or Ii
ganization perfected and it is only v
question of a few days before these G
four breeds will be thoroughly or I
ganized and each organization will r
De pushing the interest of their res
)ective breeds for all they are worth s.
There are several hundred pure S
)red hog growers in Blaine county at Il
he present time but not all of them G
" any means are members of the as c.
ociations at present, but it is entire "
v a question of a short time before o
ii of them will have joined their res is
ectiye associations in order that Il
hey may more effectively push the 81