EARLY MANHOOD IN THE MIDDLE WEST 133 



have had between 800 and 1,000 bushels of shelled 

 corn, that is, 1,200 to 1,500 half bushels of ears, 

 one and a half bushels of which were counted a 

 bushel of shelled corn. It would sell for twenty 

 cents a bushel, but I had no liking for the job of 

 husking and marketing thirty acres of corn at that 

 price. Fortunately, I had a little money in bank 

 which I invested in some hogs, thin in flesh, weigh- 

 ing from 75 to 100 pounds each, at less than two 

 cents per pound live weight. The hogs were gath- 

 ered in a large yard on the borders of a creek and 

 were fed snapped corn. It's play to feed snapped 

 corn with gloves on on a frosty morning and much 

 more fun to watch the hogs husk it than to husk it 

 yourself. I received for the hogs when fat two 

 cents per pound live weight no shrinkage 

 and through them a trifle over forty centy a bushel 

 for the corn fed to them, as nearly as I could 

 estimate it. 



I had been told by my father that a bushel of 

 corn when fed would produce ten pounds of pork 

 plus enough to pay liberally for the work of feed- 

 ing it out and caring for the animals. I had 

 learned by experience that the most profitable 

 swine to feed were lean ones frames, we called 

 them which were from six months to one year 



