558 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



If you need a hog pasture, sow rape either alone or with grain. Sow 

 a little of it next spring, and later you will sow more. Like clover, it is 

 strongly nitrogenous in its nature and is needed to balance up our car- 

 bonaceous feeds. For these reasons, and because it can be so easily and 

 cheaply grown it should be found on all our farms. 



To guard against disappointment I would advise sowing only English 

 seed, as both German and French varieties are inferior as forage plants. 



THE HOG AS A MORTGAGE LIFTER. 



F. L. Cooper, Washta, Iowa. 



The first question that comes to me in starting this subject is, why 

 would select a hog to lift a mortgage? 



To answer I would say: First. I must produce something that other 

 people want and are willing to pay the cash for. The hog is always a 

 ready sale when fit for market. Second. The income is usually avail- 

 able in from nine to eleven months. I believe no other farm animal can 

 be turned in so short a time. Third. The proceeds from a crop of hogs 

 is, or can be, a sum obtained at one time, and for that reason can be 

 used to better advantage. Fourth. Because they will do well "any old 

 way," but the better his treatment the greater the profit. 



Now, what kind or breed will serve our purpose best? I would say, 

 just the common hog. Let him be red, white or black. Some succeed 

 bpst with a pure bred hog, while others do equally well with a cross 

 bred. "Don't monkey with pedigrees." This part of the swine industry 

 must be handled different, and I believe if the common hog is given the 

 same care and attention, they are just as good for farm purposes as any 

 registered herd in Iowa. A good swill barrel, if used liberally, will make 

 a better hog than any recorded pedigree ever did. It may be I am court- 

 ing trouble from the registered breeder, but it is my opinion that any one 

 trying to lift the mortgage off his farm should not "monkey" with hogs 

 on paper. The profits are more uncertain than with the hogs on the 

 pasture. 



Next, at what weight should the hog be marketed to secure the best 

 results? Experience and observation has convinced me that from two 

 hundred to two hundred and forty pounds is a good size to sell at, if fat 

 and smooth. Circumstances sometimes alter cases; for instance, if my 

 neighbor's herd have an attack of cholera it is a pretty good time to 

 market mine, or as many as will go, after saving a few for seed. 



Figuring on the certainty or uncertainty of the hog as compared 

 with other farm animals I would say that we can count on about three 

 crops marketed in four grown. Some lose more. In my experience I 

 have lost two crops in twenty years. At the rate of one crop lost in four 

 or five I believe the hog to be a good thing as a mortgage lifter. 



There is one point I wish to bring out in connection with this subject. 

 It may be a little on the side, but I consider it of vital importance as to 



