l88 PROFITABLE STOCK RAISING 



United States. The supply of mutton is practically- 

 stationary, the supply of beef is decreasing, and 

 already the United States has practically given up 

 its former vast export meat trade because there 

 is absolutely not enough meat produced in the 

 United States to much more than supply the local 

 demand. The quickest increase can be brought 

 about by the hog breeder because of the large per 

 cent of increase in this class of animals. On ac- 

 count of the decreasing beef supply and the con- 

 tinually increasing population, it seems reasonable 

 to suppose that the consumption of pork in this 

 country vsrill constantly increase, and, therefore, 

 furnish a continuously expanding market for all the 

 pork products we are able to grow through a con- 

 siderable term of years. The fact to be empha- 

 sized, however, is that careless and wasteful 

 methods in raising and fattening hogs must go. 

 There is no longer any place in American agricul- 

 ture for the type of farmer who is not willing to 

 mix with his farming operations the maximum 

 amount of brains and intelligence. He can no 

 longer depend upon feeding corn to his hogs in 

 small pens throughout the whole year as he did 

 years ago, and expect to make a dollar of profit. 

 Under present conditions, an ample supply of pas- 

 turage is the first requisite for success in raising 

 hogs. A certain amount of grain will be necessary 

 to profitable production. A willingness and ability 

 on the part of the farmer himself to select and breed 

 in the most intelligent manner, to feed economically 

 and eflSciently, to know the markets and to be able 

 to take advantage of the conditions offered by the 

 market, will go a long way toward insuring per- 

 manent success. 



