580 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



more prolific than any other class of farm animals; they mature 

 more quickly, and can therefore be turned off sooner than any other 

 live stock save poultry. Again, a pig produces its meat upon con- 

 siderably less feed than any other meat-producing animal, much of 

 which, moreover, could not be used advantageously in any other 

 way. A pound of i>ork can be produced on half the amount of feed 

 that is required to produce a pound of beef, and two-thirds as much 

 as it requires to make a pound of mutton. Still another point in 

 favor of the pig is, that the percentage of dressed weight is higher 

 than in either beef or mutton. The average fat hog will dress off 

 about 80 per cent, of his live weight. 



There is probably no branch of Animal Husbandry which can be 

 taken up with such a small outlay of capital as raising pigs. They 

 can be kept in comparatively large numbers, in small enclosures or 

 they will do very well on pasture which furnishes a part of their 

 feed, and they are subject to but few diseases. As our population 

 increases, the demand for pork on account of its palatability and 

 nourishing qualities probably will also increase, and it is to discuss 

 some of the questions that will arise in meeting this demand that 

 this paper has been prepared. 



According to the last census, Pennsylvania has a little over a mil- 

 lion head of pigs, while states like Illinois, Louisiana, Indiana and 

 Missouri have from three and one-half to ten millions. If these 

 states that are so far from the markets find it profitable to produce 

 pork, why can not the Pennsylvania farmer make it more profitable, 

 since he can grow about every kind of crop that the farmer farther 

 west can produce, and has one of the best markets in the United 

 States at his very door? 



With the prices of dressed pork hovering around the nine cent 

 mark, I am strong in my belief that the farmers of this State can 

 well afford carefully to consider the feasibility of making pig rais- 

 ing on a moderately large scale, one of their principal sources of rev- 

 enue. I liaA'e had enough experience in handling a herd of from one 

 hundred to two hundred and fifty head to believe that this is one 

 of the ways easiest in which the eastern farmer can solve the labor 

 problem; a very serious matter just now on most farms. 



If a farmer is inclined to make pork production a large factor in 

 his farm economy, he should make his plans carefully, and be sure 

 of his ground in order to forestall subsequent losses and disap- 

 pointments. 



In view of the knowledge we now have, few would think of trying 

 to grow pigs even on a moderate scale without the use of the pas- 

 turing system unless located near a city where garbage is available. 

 This system calls for a very small area of tillable ground per head, 

 which in course of time should become richer and more productive by 

 the use of legumes and the droppings of the animals. Considerable 

 thought should be spent in planning the layout of the yards and lots 

 that the maximum amount of work may be done with the minimum 

 amount of effort. The buildings should consist of a storehouse 

 or granary in which could be stored at least a carload of feed such 

 as bran, and a root cellar. Besides this, there should be half a dozen 

 or more small farrowing pens that could be warmed in case of sows 

 farrowing in very cold weather. These buildings could be arranged 



