38 A MANUAL ON THE HOG. 



telligence, required for utilizing the natural advantages of 

 climate and soil, with which they are surrounded. The 

 great difficulty lies in the adoption of a mistaken policy, 

 under the influence of the high price which cotton com- 

 manded after the late war, and the disorganized, migratory 

 character of free negro labor. The idea that it was econo- 

 my to produce cotton, almost to the exclusion of other 

 farm products, relying upon the former to purchase sup- 

 plies, took possession of the people ten years ago, while 

 high prices prevailed, and a system of cropping on shares, 

 and renting was adopted, which has been difficult to dis- 

 card. Under this system, rotation of crops, in separate in- 

 closures, became almost impossible, and consequently, the 

 utilization of pastures by stock impracticable. Again, in 

 the usual contracts with laborers, the latter boarded them- 

 selves, and consequently, the landlord did not feel the ne- 

 cessity of producing more pork than enough to supply his 

 own family. These circumstances, combined with others, 

 have tended to diminish the production of pork in Geor- 

 gia for the last ten years, but the price of cotton having 

 fallen to very low figures, it can no longer be relied upon to 

 purchase supplies, and hence, farmers are endeavoring to 

 shake off their habits of speculative farming, and, as rapidly 

 as possible, preparing to make their farms self-supporting. 



So long as there was an organized system of labor 

 Georgia, an abundant supply of excellent pork was raised 

 on every farm with very small expense. There is no diffi- 

 cul f y now, on farms, on which the labor is employed for 

 wages, but it is a difficult problem, under the too common 

 practice of cropping on shares, or renting farms to different 

 squads of irresponsible parties. 



RELATIVE VALUE OF CROPS FOR FATTENING 



HOGS. 



The great variety of productions afforded by our soil en- 

 ables the farmer to make selections of the most nutritious 

 food for his hogs, or to use a combination of different pro- 



