Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 247, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 November 1917 — HOG INCREASE IS NECESSARY [ARTICLE]

HOG INCREASE IS NECESSARY

SOWS MUST BE BRED NOW TO INSURE ADEQUATE MEAT Washington, D. C., Oct. 31.—T0 win the war we need more meat. To get an increased meat supply quickly, hog breeding must be increased materially throughout the country, and in certain states an increase of from 25 to 50 per cent in the number of hogs is recommended by the United States department of agriculture. The situation is of great importance. We must have plenty of meat for our armies and the armies of the allies in the field, and sufficient meat for our civilian population and the civilian population of the allies at home. - To have this meat; breeding animals must reproduce themselves so the offspring will be available for slaughter in the future. Hogs can be increased quicker than any other kind of live stock. Therefore a larger number of sows must be bred NOW, than in recent years. In addition to the fact that there is an imperative demand for more meat as a war measure, it should be taken into consideration that we now have an abundance of feed crops—corn, oats and barley—with which to produce this necessary increase in the number of hogs. The demand for meat is certain and it will be profitable to the farmer to market some of this heavy graip supply on the hoof. The increase needed for the entire country is 15 per cent and Indiana should breed no fewer sows than last year. The result of the increase will be to provide sufficient animals to make the meat that is absolutely essential to the feeding of our armies. Pork can be transported more readily and economically to troops in the field than can any other meat. Great supplies of bacon must go to the boys in khaki at the front. Unless NOW a larger number of hogs are bred, the amount of meat we will require next year will not be avail* able. The estimated number of hogs is 4,000,000 less than it was a year age in this country; and in the face of this we NEED more hogs than ever before. How can we get them? By breeding sows at once. The exportation of pork products has increased since the war began and will continue to increase during the length of the war. The foreign countries are devoting their farming energies to food and feed rather than live stock production, but they must have meat and they must get a large part of this supply from us. During the last three months the price of hogs -in the United States has been, on an average, more than twice as much as the average price for the five years from 1911 to 1915. In view of the large crop of feedstuffs in sight, however, it is believed that farmers will see the wisdom of taking every reasonable step to increase the supply of hogs and hog products.