33 



WHERE ARE WE AT? 

 By G. E. Day, Profi Animal Husbandry, O.A.C., Guelph. 



During the last winter a very lively discussion has been carried on 

 in the agricultural press regarding- the question of bacon production. The 

 whole discussion was started by the fact that Canadian packers fail to 

 discriminate in price between the bacon hog and the fat type. Around 

 this storm centre the discussion has raged, and a great many matters 

 of greater or less importance have been swept from their natural place by 

 this inky cyclone, and whirled before the public in such fantastic fashion 

 that it would be little wonder if many men failed to remember their 

 natural aspect. Perhaps it is still rather early to emerge from the storm 

 cellar, and yet the sooner we earnestly set to work to make the best use 

 of what is left us, the better it will be for all concerned. 



Among the points brought into the discussion is the advisability of 

 giving up breeding the bacon hog, and going into the production of the 

 fat hog. When a man is on the top of a high fence and makes up his 

 mind to jump down, he will naturally take a lively interest in the spot 

 where he will alight. When we talk of dropping the bacon hog and 

 taking up the production of the fat type, we should carefully consider 

 what would be the consequence of such a step. Judging from the points 

 which have been brought out in the discussion, we are led to conclude that 

 the Canadian packer can handle a limited numbe; of fat hogs to good 

 advantage; that he can, in fact, make as much money out of a certain 

 number of fat hogs as he can out of an equal number of bacon hogs. 

 While this is true, it does not follow- that if all Canadian hogs were of 

 the fat type, the profits would be the same as they are at present, nor 

 does it follow that the prices received by the farmer would be equal to 

 those of to-day. It does not require much thought to understand how 

 this comes about. There is a certain home demand for fat hogs, and 

 home-grown fat hogs can be used to advantage to supply that demand. 

 But, just so soon as that demand is supplied, and an attempt is made 

 to dispose of the surplus in Great Britain, we find ourselves face to face 

 with American competition. It is right here that the bacon hog helps 

 us out of our difficulties. He can go to the British market, and keep out 

 of direct competition with his fat cousin; but if we attempted to market 

 the products of the fat hog in Britain, we would soon find ourselves put 

 out of business by American competition. There is no question that the 



nericans can give us "cards and spades" and beat us out in the pro- 

 duction of fat hogs. With their immense and varied home market, and 

 their cheap corn, they have every advantage in their favor. Thus, we 

 see that the bacon hog enables us *to dispose of our surplus product in a 



•Stable market. Remove the bacon hog, and the possibility of dispos- 

 ing of our surplus product to advantage disappears. It should not be 

 difficult for the average intellect to grasp the situation, and enable our 

 farmers to realize that the present good prices for fat hogs are rendered. 

 possible by the existence of the bacon hog. The bacon hog is the key to 

 3 Bull.— 139. 



