1907 . 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
227 
A CONNECTICUT PIG BUSINESS. 
Edgewood Farm has for the past four years utilized 
the kitchen refuse from a large Summer hotel on the 
estate in growing pork. Situated 28 miles from New 
York, in a Summer resort, with land values from 
$500 an acre and upwards, comparatively thickly set¬ 
tled, it necessitates the use of the same lot year after 
year, thus losing the manure. This is also the only 
field which has water. It contains about four acres. 
Before using for this purpose the lot was overgrown 
with brush and weeds. No income was derived from 
it. From 80 to 100 pigs, weighing from 18 to 30 
pounds, are bought to be delivered from May 25 to 
June 1. We have tried several breeds and crosses, a 
cross of pure Berkshire on O. I. C. doing particularly 
well, being of good size and condition at seven months, 
and also being both good rustlers and quiet. They 
have done better under our conditions than the smaller 
breeds, like the medium Yorkshire. I find the indivi¬ 
dual of much more importance than the breed. If 
bought at a distance we ship by express as being 
quicker and, to my surprise, cheaper. No need of a 
rush order on a lot of pigs on a hot May day; the 
express men pass them right along. On 
arrival they are at once put in the lot, 
fed skim-milk, and gradually worked up 
to full feed on the swill. 
This swill is nearly dry, being com¬ 
posed of dry bread, cake, meat and vege¬ 
table trimmings, etc. The pigs continue 
on swill until they get to weigh from 
65 to 100 pounds and want more than the 
hotel supplies. The feed is then supple¬ 
mented with ground rye fed moist. After 
about October 15 the rye is steamed by 
means of a steam pipe run out of the 
dairy house. Small apples, potatoes and 
vegetables are also used. We have tried to 
feed rye soaked and steamed, but do not 
get perfect digestion without grinding. 
The reason for using rye is that it is 
also a by-product from the production 
of rye straw for the stables. 
We would like suggestions for the best 
way to feed the swill. We have tried 
troughs, boxes, platforms and have dis¬ 
carded them all, and feed directly on the 
ground, of course being careful to change 
places each load. For 80 pigs we usually 
put in eight or 10 piles. The pigs pick 
out the meat first, pastry next, and vege¬ 
tables and fruit last. We had a Berk¬ 
shire two-year-old sow in 1903 who was 
a regular glutton for meat, disdaining 
lighter food. She dressed over 650 
pounds in December. The loss 2 previous 
to 1906 was very small, and I had con¬ 
gratulated myself that our sanitary meth¬ 
ods, pure water, sulphur, charcoal, etc., 
were all there was to this detail of farm¬ 
ing, but our turn came this year to the 
tune of about 20 per cent of total num¬ 
ber. Fortunately the high price of pork 
and the splendid growth of the survivors 
brought up the profit to normal. The 
pigs are sold to suit customers—by the 
half or by the load—live or dead. Em¬ 
ployees are supplied at nominal prices; 
in fact, it has been the custom to give 
each half a pig for Thanksgiving. Inci¬ 
dentally the labor question does not trou¬ 
ble us much, several men having been 
employed for 15 years or more, and one 
for 24 years. Italians form the best mar¬ 
ket for pigs over 200 pounds. 
We try to have them all killed about Thanksgiving 
time. We expect to have them dress on an average 
about 150 to 165 pounds at that time, but to show how 
the law' of the survival of the fittest w'orks, all of our 
pigs were born in the space of three w'eeks this year; 
our largest pig brought $25.25, the smallest $9.65. The 
arrangements for killing are simple but effective. We 
kill in a small grove in preference to a shed, on ac¬ 
count of room, smoke, steam, etc. We use two kettles 
without the base or furnace, which is only a nuisance 
except for indoor w'ork; one barrel for cold water, 
into which hose runs from hydrant; one barrel for 
scalding, not too large; one block and fall and a table 
18 feet long, three feet wide. This is a little too narrow 
for hogs over 250 pounds., We set scalding barrel at 
end of table, stick five pigs, scald heads in succession; 
by time all are scalded the first should be ready to 
reverse. We also use small table for casings. A boy 
to keep water hot, a team to bring dead pigs from pen 
to tub, one butcher, two helpers; with this arrange¬ 
ment w'e hung up 30 pigs between eight A. M. and 
4.30 P. M. ; 20 to 25 is a usual day’s work. The essen¬ 
tial point is a good scald. We use seven pails of boil¬ 
ing water, one pail cold; common sense ad libitum. 
I can see no advantage by use of lime, tar or other 
substances, and have discarded them. Perhaps with old, 
heavy hogs they might be necessary. The average 
profit for the four years is about $300 per year. Last 
years as follows: Paid for stock, $201.33; grain, $128; 
labor, $214; total, $543.33. Receipts, $940.49, balance, 
$397.16. It is a question whether the $200 paid man 
should be charged against the pigs or credited to them, 
as to burn or bury the swill would cost much more 
than this amount, and would have to be spent if it 
were not for them. H. c. b. 
AN OLD NEBRASKA HOME . 
During the past six months some excellent souvenir post 
cards have been sent us. It seems that people all over 
the country are using the^e cards to illustrate their home 
or farm, or to show objects of local interest. Mrs. E. O. 
Eames sends us the card from which the picture shown at 
Fig. 113 is engraved. She writes this little note about it: 
I send you a post card of two log cabins built 32 
years ago by Judge Mathews; he cut the cedars in the 
canyons and built them himself, and his nearest neigh- 
THE CHRISTMAS ROSE IN JANUARY, MUCH REDUCED 
See Ruralisms, Page 236. 
were able to buy tomatoes at 24 cents per bushel during 
the time the market was glutted, but this season was 
of too short duration to enable them to finish their 
entire pack. Here is a question not satisfactorily ex¬ 
plained to me by those that believe there is a fortune 
in raising tomatoes at from $8 to $10 per ton, and 
that is, why are the canners so anxious to contract at 
24 cents to 30 cents per bushel, when last year they 
were paying 24 cents? Simply for the reason that 
they do not care to come in competition with the mar¬ 
ket, as the average price is too high for them. Cer¬ 
tainly the canners know about what they will receive 
for their finished product. Then by figuring their profit 
they arrive at what would be a fair price to their way 
of speaking to the producer, but as the profit is figured 
out only for themselves, it behooves us to see if they 
have left any of the good thing for us. As long as 
there is a factory here I am under the impression that 
the price of tomatoes on the market can fall but very 
little below the contract price, and the average should 
be considerable above the price at the factory. There 
is very little danger of the contract goods getting on 
the market, and I do not doubt but the acreage for the 
market will be shortened for the coming year. 
It is a hard matter to figure just what 
a crop would average on the market, but 
I can come very near the cost of pro¬ 
duction at the contract price, and as the 
canners pay from 24 to 30 cents per 
bushel, and estimate from 200 to 400 
bushels per acre, I have demonstrated to 
my own satisfaction that it would be a 
slow method of making money. The 
estimated cost per acre would be: 10 
loads manure, $10; plowing, harrowing 
and marking, $2; plants and setting, $8; 
cultivating and hoeing, $2.50; picking 
and hauling 300 bushels, $15; rent of 
land, $5; total cost per acre, $52.50. Now 
assuming 300 bushels per acre at 24 to 
30 cents per bushel (we take 27 cents as 
the average price), we would receive $81 
for the crop, or a profit of $28.50 per 
acre, or say 260 bushels for the yield at 
the same price we would have $6.50 profit, 
deducting the cost of picking and haul¬ 
ing 100 bushels at five cents per bushel. 
Some crops may yield more than 300 
bushels, but I think the average would be 
considerably under this, taken one year 
with another. The cost of production per 
acre of course will vary with different 
persons and in locality, but for myself, 
considering the cost of production per 
acre and the uncertainty of hired help 
during the picking season, tomatoes at 
$8 to $10 per ton leave a very small mar¬ 
gin to the producer, if any at all. Nor do 
I see any feasible plan to boost the con¬ 
tract price when there are enough grow¬ 
ers willing to furnish the factory the 
goods at their price Experience is one 
way of learning the cost of producing to¬ 
matoes, but for my part I do not wish 
to gain any experience in growing toma¬ 
toes at $8 to $10 per ton. A. d. f. 
Omaha, Neb. 
AN OLD CABIN HOME IN NEBRASKA. Fig. 113. 
bor was 60 miles away. There were plenty of Indians 
here at that time. Mr Mathews’ commission as post¬ 
master at this place is dated February 15, 1875, and he 
received the first mail on April 15, 1875. 1 he west 
cabin was the one used for a post office. Judge 
Mathews still lives in those cabins, has now a beauti¬ 
ful forest of trees there, and there are mineral springs 
all around him. At one time he bottled the water and 
sold it; the bottling works still stand. Broken Bow, 
Merna, Anselmo and the surrounding country all con¬ 
gregate there on the Fourth of July. Carter County is 
a very large county; they are now trying to get it 
divided into four bounties, so you may know it is large. 
Nebraska. mrs. e. o. eames. 
TOMATOES FOR A CANNING FACTORY. 
As last year was our first experience with a canning 
factory in this vicinity, it is possible I can add no new 
points that have not already been discussed. The can¬ 
ning people got into the field too late last season, to 
contract for their product, and therefore were forced 
to buy in competition with the local market. They 
Fig. 112. 
PLAIN PHOSPHATES AGAIN. 
The average reader appears to be care¬ 
less in drawing his conclusions from data 
given. In my article of January 19 I was 
careful to point out the fact that my con¬ 
clusions were drawn from trials on acid 
soils, and that for such soils plain 
phosphates would no doubt be found of greater 
economic value than for alkaline soils. It is true 
that I ventured the opinion that on account of 
some solubility of the plain phosphates and the con¬ 
stant chemical reactions going on in the Summer sea¬ 
son in the soil, they would be found to have a consid¬ 
erable value on other than acid soils. These phos¬ 
phates are very finely grotmd, and when brought within 
the sphere of bacterial decompositions and recomposi¬ 
tions, in which acids result, are, like other fine mate¬ 
rials of the soil, subject to a chemical breaking up. It 
must not be forgotten that the roots of plants have 
themselves powers of solution, whether by acids secreted, 
a point in controversy, or by some other power, the 
result is achieved. A careful examination of the in¬ 
fluence of roots on the walls of containing vessels 
shows this. I do not want to stand as authority for a 
general reckless use of plain phosphates, and advise 
each one interested in the matter to try them on his 
own soil, and for more than one crop. The behavior of 
all crops is not the same towards the various sources 
of plant food. Whenever we can use non-mineral 
sources of plant food, and the phosphorus for our plants 
untreated with sulphuric acid, the safer, I have come to 
believe, it will be for our soils, until we become better 
acquainted with all the controlling laws of plant nutri¬ 
tion and soil reactions. J. w. sanborn. 
