Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-09-11
FARM EDUCATION
BY DR.. ANDREW M. SOULE

The man who wishes to obtain
all the details relative to establish
ing a grazing area for hogs, the
best breeds TO employ, the kind OF
crops to grow, and the best meth
; DDS Of management to pursue, can
obtain ali the data he wishes along
these particular lines free of cost
on application to the Georgia State
College of Agriculture.
ask your cooperation, there
fore. to the end that the hog may
be permitted to come into his own
in Georgia and so render that setv-
ich to our state of which he is
capable by supplying us with food
stuffS for which we now spend $50
600, 900 or $40 100000 a year. If this
money went into the hands of our
own farmers and were kept in
Georgia as a revolving fund to be
turned over, and over, and over,
and so become a part of our funda-
mental assets, do you not think that
prosperity would again perch upon
the chimney top of every farm
come financially prosperous and ag-
ricIlturally independent of the
middle west? This is not a dream.
No, far from it. 1t simply repre-
sents a practical summation of the
possibilities which lie ahead, if we
will only take the trouble TO educate
our farming population as a class
to become breeders and fanciers of
swine.
The possibilities of swine-g growing
in Georgia have been demonstrate
ed through the agency of our re-
search and experimental work at
the college. We have also tried to
carry this information out to the
farmers as best we could through a
large number of correlated inter-
ests led by the county agents. Real
ling that educated leadership is
still our greatest need, the college
stands ready to receive with open
arms each year a desirable quota
of the youth Of Georgia that they
may be so trained as to make them
capable of instituting and maintain
ing a we'll balanced farm program
throughout the length and breadth
of the state in which cotton cult
walton and animal industries will be
kept in proper relationship to our
economic needs. If we can con-
sJmmate this arrangement, we can
keep at home a part of that great
stream OF wealth we make each
year in Georgia, but which, at pres
ent, finds it's way beyond the Dor
tunately, expended for the purchase
of supplies which should be made
at home.
Some one has asked me to explain
why [ am so enthusiastic about
swine-raising in Georgia? 1t is for
the following reasons: Farmers
generally can get into this business
in a shorter time and at less ex-
pense than any other form of ami
NAL industry. The returns will be
larger, because hogs multiply so
rapidly. The increase varies from
1000 to 500 per cent in a single
year, Hog raising does not call for
the expenditure of an undue amount
of labor, and the work is also well
distributed throughout the year. |
believe that hogs can be Grown with
less labor than cotton. In hog rails
ing we can use a large number of
leguminous crops to advantage and
thus improve the fertility of our
soils. The building UP Of our land
Is a fundamental problem if our
agriculture is to be maintained on a
profitable basis. Hogs consume less
food tnan cattle or sheep. The dress
Ing percentage is also higher. In
the case of well-fed animals. it
should vary from rs to so per cent
of their live weight. OF course the
hog farmer has his troubles in the
form of diseases, but these can be
controlled through the exercise of
proper skill and intelligence. 1t is
true also that the market fluctuates
widely, but there is a season when
hogs will as a rule command a fair
price. Strive to finish them at this
time OF the year.
In conclusion, may I offer the
following suggestions? The live
stock industry in Georgia is not
eValuated as it should be. We see a
great deal in the papers about the
gross value of our field crops. Sta
tistics of this character are fairly
accurate, and they are made avail.
able with great regularity. Little is
saio, however, about our live stock
business, and so our people fail to
comprehend the bigness o. this in.
dustry. At this time we probably
have between $60,00O,O00 and $75.,
100000 invested in live stock in
Georgia. The turnover of this bust
ness will amount to nearly 500 .O0O,-
600 year, of which $25, 600 ,O0G may
be attributed to the poultry industry.
$25,000,000 to the dairy industry,
25,000,000 to the swine industry.
$4,000. 600 to miscellaneous sources.
Thus, even today, we are obtaining
In Georgia nearly 81 of live stock
values for each ST Of cotton values,
Walie our non,cotton crops yield us
about $3.50 of values for each 81
derived from cotton. If we combine
our live stock products ana our non
cotton crop values, we q I'll that we
are still obtaining in Georgia 81 of
revenues from cotton sources as
compared with 81 from non.cotton
sources.