CHAPTER XIV 

 SWINE 



Hogs rank second in total number and third in total 

 value of farm animals in the United States, being exceeded 

 in number by cattle, and in value by horses and cattle. 

 The totals in 1908 were as follows: 1 



Cattle ! 71,267,000 1,495,995,000 



Swine i 56,084,000 339,030,000 



Sheep 54,631,000 211,736,000 



308. Distribution of Hogs. Hogs are almost universally 

 distributed as scavengers to eat the waste material from 

 the farm and the kitchen. The commercial production is 

 centered in dairy sections and in the corn-belt. In dairy 

 sections that produce cheese or butter, the hogs are a 

 by-product, being fed on the whey and skimmed milk. 

 In the corn-belt, they are a by-product of fattening steers. 

 Here they eat the corn that is wasted by the steers and 

 that which the steers do not digest. Large numbers are 

 also grown in the corn-belt independently of other stock. 



It is cheaper to ship hogs than to ship the corn that is 

 required to grow the hogs. About five to six pounds of 

 corn are required to grow a pound of hog. The weight to be 

 shipped is, therefore, much less if the corn is fed. If alfalfa 



^United States Department of Agriculture Yearbook, 19O8 

 (357) 



