186 



CONKEY'S STOCK BOOK 



SWINE 



WITHOUT doubt this country is the greatest country for swine grow- 

 ing in the world. 

 The Mississippi Valley or the corn belt, where grain and pastur- 

 age conditions are favorable, represents the very center of the indus- 

 try today. The South, with its abundant corn and many suitable forage 

 crops, could do much more than it is doing, but at present the twelve states 

 of the corn belt, with Iowa far in the lead, head the world for product and 

 values. Estimating approximately 80,000,000 swine in America, 90% are 

 in the United States, contributing a wealth (figures of 1908) of $339,030,000. 



Moreover, the greater part of all these are raised for home consumption. 

 Surplus products, such as bacon, ham, salt pork, live hogs, lard compounds, 

 fresh pork, canned pork and lard oil, are exported annually to an extent 

 way up in the millions. But the amount for home consumption is fully 

 four times as great as all this. 



One curious fact is, we butcher annually 10% more than the total num- 

 ber raised. Can you figure this? It looks like a puzzle or some such fool- 

 ism; but this statement simply means that the increase in production is so 

 enormous that each year we seemingly kill more than we raise because the 

 new litters so quickly replace the butchered stock. 



IOWA In 1908 production, Iowa led with 8,413,000 swine raised. Illinois 

 LEADS came next, 4,672,000; and Nebraska, Missouri, Indiana, Texas, 

 Kansas, Ohio, Wisconsin, Georgia, Tennessee and Michigan fol- 

 lowed in the order named. Meanwhile the world's swine markets are 

 Chicago, Kansas City, St. Joseph, Indianapolis and Milwaukee, in the order 

 named. 



HOW IT'S The history of this industry in America is one of wonderful 

 GROWN interest. Wonderful, not only in the growth of the industry, 



but for the marvelous improvement of type by careful breed- 

 ing. It is fair to say that more improvement has been made by breeder? 



