No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 595 



the llaivcst (Ceres), lie is also, as the Irishman says, "the giutil- 

 man that pays the rint." 



The utility of the hog is in a great measure owing to its remarkable 

 fecundity, reproducing at the age of one year and bearing from five 

 to ten at a time, and often more. While I am a believer in prolific 

 strains and would favor sows that produce good litters, I am not a 

 crank for extra large litters and think that litters of six to nine are 

 better than from ten to fourteen, as I believe that the sow can raise 

 the former number better than she can the latter; that the former 

 litter will bring more money from a breeder's standpoint than the 

 latter. I am somewhat like the professor who began farming and 

 stock raising and always did everything according to the book, hav- 

 ing a book on cattle, hogs, horses, sheep and poultry. He always 

 consulted these books before deciding any matter regarding them. 

 One day his man-of-all-work came running to him in great haste, 

 saying: "Professor, that old goose out in the barn has 16 goslings. 

 What shall I do with her?" The professor immediately consulted 

 his goose book and said: John, go right out and kill seven of those 

 goslings, as no goose can suckle more than nine." This is the reason 

 that I do not care for extremely large litters, as I wish every pig 

 to do his very best, 



THE HOG AS A SOURCE OF INCOME. 



The hog has been a reliable source of revenue on the American 

 farm since the earliest recollection of man. In olden times every 

 farmer kept but a few hogs, while the laborer in the village, or the 

 mechanic, or the Irishman on the section each kept his pig to con- 

 sume the refuse of the kitchen and garden and to supply his family 

 with that choice old-fashioned home-made sausage, ham and head 

 cheese, as well as various other products, while at the present time 

 the up-to-date American hog supplies in his various products the 

 wants of the people of the entire civilized world, not only with choice 

 bacon and hams, but with lard, lubricating oils, combs, brushes, 

 knife handles, buttons and ornaments of many kinds. Even the blood 

 and bristles are saved; the blood with scraps of meat and bones is 

 used in the manufacture of blood meal and tankage. The blood 

 meal being a good feed to combine with other feed for young calves, 

 while the tankage is used for combining with meal or other feed 

 for the growing of pigs. I wish here to say a few words regarding 

 the use of this digester tankage as it is called. It is composed of 

 blood, bones and meat scraps thoroughly cooked and dried, then 

 ground into a fine meal, and it contains 58 per cent, protein or bone- 

 making material and for the purpose of making growth in young 

 pigs is even equal to or better than milk. We in the West have no 

 milk to feed or at least we at home do not, and for a number of 

 years have used tankage instead, and with good success. In a feed- 

 ing test at the Iowa State Agricultural College, several lots of pigs 

 of same average weight were fed various kinds and combinations 

 of feed and made the largest gains as well as the cheapest on a com- 

 bination of 80 per cent, corn meal and 20 per cent, tankage. We use 

 tankage combined with wheat middlings or with ground oats and 

 corn meal and find it a satisfactory feed for rapid growth, as well 

 as a good flesh-former. You will note that there is no waste in the 



