ELEVENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VIII 433 



amounting to $1,856. When these checks were handed to the stockholders 

 one could not help noticing the interest taken. Those receiving checks 

 amounting to $15.00 to $30.00' would carry them around to show to their 

 neighbors, while those only getting from $2.00 to $5.00 would fold them 

 and place in their pockets with a vow that next year they would get a 

 larger one. At the same time men who were not stockholders were busy 

 looking up the secretary to invest their $10.00 in a share. 



We have handled hogs for 19 years in connection with our work, but 

 I am not going to tell you that every one of those 19 years was a 

 success. The first few years were an experiment and part of the time 

 the business held its own, while other years money was lost on this 

 line. The experience of each manager was a help for the new manager, 

 and now it has come to the time when we claim successful hog raising 

 in connection with the creamery is a science, and only after careful 

 study have we been able to accomplish the results I will relate to you. 

 I will only go back to the last five years, ending December 31, 1909. 

 During those five years we handled 1,875 hogs and lost 18 from different 

 causes. Cash in this fund amounted to $32,826.90; paid for corn, $4,164.09. 

 We paid dividends amounting to $7,208.0 I 8, or an average of $1,441.61 a 

 year profit from our buttermilk. 



Now, do not forget the fact that to do this amount of hog business 

 requires a large amount of butter-milk and during this time we made 

 1,599,015 lbs. of butter, so you can see we had the buttermilk to work 

 with. Up to October 10, this year, we have handled 316 hogs and now 

 have 78 on hand and $1,650 in hog funds. With good luck the next 

 three months we will pay close to $2,000 ; in hog dividends this year. 



The first step toward successful hog raising is the hog yards. Some 

 think all that is necessary is to fence off a portion of the ground and 

 turn in a few hogs and that settles it. The first thing you want to do 

 is study your ground. Lay out your yards carefully, arrange your pens 

 so the hogs can be sorted without running each one down. Place your 

 buttermilk cistern in position where each pen can be reached with 

 plenty of troughs and have these troughs large enough to cause as little 

 commotion as possible among the hogs while feeding and each hog can 

 take all the time he requires to get his fill. The hog house should be 

 located facing the south, with plenty of windows. Plenty of shade trees 

 should be arranged at convenient places for summer time, and a good, 

 large platform for feeding corn. Do not throw the corn on the ground 

 for the hogs to pick up out of the dirt. A hog will put up with all 

 kinds of dirt, but if he is handled on a sanitary ttasis he will thrive 

 far better than under filthy conditions. 



Second, the way to success is in buying, feeding and selling hogs. 

 Experience has taught us not to raise pigs. While this can be done, it 

 is a slow way of turning your money. Buy young hogs weighing not 

 less than 130 lbs. up to 160 lbs as, if smaller than this, their bones are 

 not matured, and buttermilk, while a good fattener, does not make good 

 bone food, and when you try to fatten a small hog he will break down 

 in the legs when weighing about 225 lbs. A young hog properly fed 

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