Arizona Agricultural Exi'Eriment Station 425 



hogs amounted to $5.27 for the pigs in Lot I, and $5.01 per 100 

 pounds gain in Lot II. The pigs in both lots were vigorous and 

 ate their feed with apparent relish. 



M.VRKETING HOGS DRESSED VS. SELLING THEM ALIVE. 



Eight pigs weighing a total of 1358 pounds and ranging in 

 weight from 128 to 217 pounds each were offered for sale to local 

 butchers. The highest bid received was 16 cents per pound, or a 

 total of $217.28 without any deduction made for shrinkage. These 

 pigs were maintained twelve hours without feed or water before 

 killing them. They were then weighed, dressed, and allowed to 

 hang over night to cool. They dressed a total of 1050 pounds, 

 which was sold at 26 cents a pound, yielding a total of $273.00. A 

 careful record was secured of the actual expense of dressing the 

 hogs, which amounted to $1,225 per pig. At this rate the gross '■e- 

 turns received for dressing the pigs amounted to $55.72, or $6,965 

 per head, or a net return of $5.74 per head. 



On March 21, 1919, four hogs ranging in weight from 148 1/2 to 

 208 pounds were offered to local butchers for sale. The best bid 

 secured was 16>^ cents per pound live weight. As the four pigs 

 weighed 697 pounds, this would amount to $115.00. The pigs were 

 dressed at a cost of $1 per pig and the offal. They were then sold 

 at 25 cents a pound for the dressed carcasses, yielding a gross re- 

 turn of $127.62, or an increase of 12.525 cents for dressing them. 

 This is an average of $3,156 per pig, or a net profit of $2,156 per 

 pig for dressing them. 



The results of these two tests indicate very emphatically that 

 local farmers would do well to slaughter their hogs and sell the 

 dressed carcasses. 



INSTRUCTION AND EXECUTIVE WORK 

 The office work in the Department has been unusually heavy 

 during the past year. This work has called for the supervision of 

 the livestock, planning new equipment, purchasing new animals, 

 judging livestock at fairs, addressing meetings, and personal con- 

 ferences with stockmen. Quite a number of articles have been pub- 

 lished in technical journals and local periodicals. An initial selec- 

 tion has been made of a Rambouillet buck and four ewes. 



