—————— SO 
+ 
18 BULLETIN 1381, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
General breeding and feeding practices of producers have built up 
this relationship of production to price. The usual scarcity of hogs 
in the fall has made the September market the highest of the year. 
Early spring pigs are raised to take advantage of this price. These 
pigs are full-fed and pushed to the limit. If good gains are not made 
they lose the advantage of an early birth and must be sold after the 
decline in price. Early spring pigs benefit by a higher price, but the 
suffer from a higher cost of production largely because of the hig 
price of old corn and purchased supplementary feeds, necessary for 
maximum gains, on which they are fattened. 
Late spring pigs are on limited feed and pasture during the summer 
and are fattened on new corn, large quantities of which are hogged 
down. They furnish the bulk of the supply in the heavy winter-pack- 
Fic. 8.—This field of clover was pastured by hogs all summer. A crop of hay and a crop of seed 
were taken off without interfering with the hog pasture 
ing season when prices are lowest. The disadvantage of a low price 
is offset in some degree by a lower cost of production, largely because 
of greater use of pasture (fig. 8) better gains made on soy beans and 
new corn which is also lower in price, and labor saved by hogging 
down corn. ‘The large runs from this class of pigs bring the market 
to the lowest of the year. 
Fall pigs are usually on full feed during the winter and spring until 
they are marketed. The marketing of these pigs causes a slight June 
break in the general rise of prices from the low in January to the high 
in September. Summer pigs are really fall pigs farrowed early in 
order to reach market before the June break, and winter pigs are 
really spring pigs farrowed early to make sure of reaching the high 
fall market of August and September. 
