46 A MANUAL ON THE HOG, 



average wholesale cash price, and Georgia has expended 

 annually, during the last decade, $10,053,940 for bacon 

 and lard, or, in the ten years, $100,539,405, which is only 

 $22,387,470 less than half the aggregate value of the whole 

 taxable property of the State. 



The depression of the farming interests of the State is 

 not surprising when such a drain upon her productive re- 

 sources is permitted. Besides, the above calculation is 

 made upon the supposition that the whole of the bacon 

 and lard was purchased at cash prices, while it is well 

 known that a very large proportion of it was bought on 

 time, at the most exhorbitant rates of interest. Let any 

 planter who has purchased his bacon and lard for the last 

 ten years, sum up what it has cost him, and add to eact 

 year's outlay the interest on the money, and he will see 

 where a large part of his profits have gone. It may be 

 objected that it would have cost something to raise pork. 

 Very true ; but the reports previously given show that 

 pork need not cost more than six cents, which is less than 

 half the average wholesale cash price, and it can be raised 

 even cheaper by proper attention ; so that at least half the 

 above amount, or more than $50,000,000 would have been 

 saved by raising it at home. 



No other domestic animal affords such prompt or abun- 

 dant returns for the investment as the hog. By good 

 feeding, pigs farrowed in March may be converted into 

 pork the following December, yielding at least a thousand 

 per cent., in nine months, on first investment. 



The unusually high price of cotton s O on after the close 

 of the war, when the fortunes of the people were broken, 

 naturally led to excessive production of that staple, to the 

 neglect of provision crops, and it has been difficult to re- 

 cover from the habits, both of thought and practice, then 

 acquired, although the price has now fallen until it re- 

 quires more than a pound of cotton to purchase a pound 

 of bacon. 



