58 
BULLETIN 1271, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
STANDARD REQUIREMENTS FOR MIXED CATTLE 
The diversity of type of individuals composing these mixed cattle 
herds, as well as of methods of handling them and of products pro- 
duced, makes it impossible to set up significant standards for them. 
DISTRIBUTION OF LABOR ON MIXED CATTLE 
Figure 17 shows the distribution of man labor by weeks on 30 head 
of mixed cattle. This number included 13 cows, 10 of which were 
milked at least part of the time. These cattle were turned out on 
Distribution of Man Labor on Mixed Cattle 
JAN. FEP- MAR. APR. MAY JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT OCT. NOV DEC. 
Fig. 17.— The amount of labor falls off sharply when the cattle are turned out on pasture 
pasture the last of April. Part of them were taken off pasture early 
in November, but the rest had the run of the stalk fields until the 
latter part of December. The large amount of special labor in April 
was spent marketing cattle. 
HOGS 
Hogs are maintained on most of these farms for pork production. On 
several, however, a purebred breeding herd is established and a large 
number of animals are sold for breeding purposes. Spring farrowing 
is the common practice. Fall litters are produced on only about 25 
per cent of the farms. Gilts are used largely for breeding on the 
pork-producing farms, but aged sows predominate in the purebred 
nerds. Pigs are farrowed about March 1 for breeding purposes, but 
the litters to be fed out for pork are not farrowed until April or May. 
The average weight at which hogs were marketed for pork in 1921 was 
233 pounds. This varied between different farms from 188 to 292 
pounds. If aged breeding stuff is eliminated, the average weight at 
which pigs farrowed in the spring and fed out directly for pork were 
sold was about 200 pounds. Nineteen per cent of hogs sold for pork 
were marketed in December; 21 per cent in January, and 12 per cent in 
February. The remaining 48 per cent were distributed through the 
remainder of the year. 
Corn is the principal feed for hogs. The small grain fed is almost 
exclusively oats. On a few farms a small amount of mill feeds or 
