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About Crook County journal. (Prineville, Or.) 189?-1921 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 1919)
4AMWHV 10l Tmgt STEADIER HOG MARKETS PLANNED Hog Producers and Packers Confer With Repre sentatives of the Food Administration and Agricultural Department and Adopt New- Plan of Regulation. SELECT HOGS FOR BREEDING Mlsmatlng Will Not Only Glv. Unsat- ! Isfactory Results, but Likely to Discourage Beginner. CitOOK COUNT JOURNAL ' i ! f n ) In accordance with the policy of the tion to conault representative men In ( Importance to special branches of the Industry, on October 24 there waa convened In Washington a meeting of the Live Stock Subcommittee of the Agricultural Adrlaory Board and the special members representing the swine Industry to consider the altuatlon In the hog market Tbe conference lasted for three days, and during thla time met with the xecutlve committee of the fifty packing Arms participating In foreign orders for pork products and with the members of the Food Administration directing foreign pork purchases. The conclusions of the conference were aa follows: The entire marketing situation baa . producer and the Insurance of an ade- o changed aince the September Joint conference as to necessitate an entire iteration In the plans of price stabi lization. The current peace talk baa alarmed the holders of corn, and there has been a price decline of from 25 cents to 40 cents per bushel. The fact that the accumulations of low priced corn in the Argentine and South Afrl-' ca would, upon the advent of peace and liberated shipping, become avail able to the European market has cre ated a great deal of apprehension on the pat of corn holders. This decllue has spread fear anions swine growers that a similar reduction In the prices of hogs would naturally follow. More over, the lower ranee of corn prices would. If Incorporated In a 13-to-l ra tio, obviously result in a continuously falling price for live hogs. In view of these changed conditions many swine producers anticipated lower prices and as a result rushed their hogs to market in large numbers, and this overshlpment has added to and aggravated the decline. The Information of the Department of Agriculture 'Indicates that the sup ply of hogs has Increased about 8 per cent, while the highest unofficial esti mate does not exceed 15 per cent in creased production over last year. On the other hand, the arrival of hogs .during the last three weeks In the seven .great markets has been 27 per ,cent more than last year, during the corresponding period, demonstrating the unusually heavy marketing of the available supply. In the face of the excessive receipts some packers have 'not maintained the price agreed last month. On the other hand, many of the packers have paid over the 'price offered to them In an endeavor Jto maintain the agreed price The re sult In any event has been a failure to maintain the October price basis 'determined upon at the September con ference and undertaken by the pack ers. Another factor contributing to the break in prices during the month has been the influenza epidemic: it has sharply curtailed consumption of pork products and temporarily de creased the labor staff of the packers about 25 per cent The exports of 130,000,000 pounds . of pork products for October com pared with about 52,000,000 pounds to October a year ago, and the export orders placeable by the Food Administration for November, amount to 170,000,000 pounds as contrast ed with the lesser exports of 98,000,000 for November, 1917. The Increased demands of the allies are continuing, and are in themselves proof of the necessity for the large production for which the Food Admin istration asked. The Increase in ex port demands appears to be amply sufficient to take up the Increase in bog production, but unfavorable mar ket conditions existing in October af ford no fair index of the aggregate supply and demand. It must be evident that the enor mous shortage In fats In the Central Empires and neutral countries would Immediately upon peace result in ad ditional demands for pork products ' which, on top of the heavy shipments to the Allies, would tend materially to Increase the American exports, in asmuch as no considerable reservoir of supplies exists outside of the United States. It seems probable that the present prospective supplies would be ! inadequate to meet this world demand with the return to peace. So far as it Is possible to interpret this fact, It ap pears that there should be even a stronger demand for pork products after the war, and therefore any alarm of hog producers as to the effect of peace is unwarranted by the outlook. In the light of these circumstances lit Is the conclusion of the conference !that attempts to hold the price of hogs 'to the price of corn may work out to I the disadvantage of pork producers. It Is the conclusion that any Interpre tation of the formula should be a broad gauged policy applied over a long period. It is the opinion of tbe conference that In substitution of the previous ; plans of stabilization the Live Stock Subcommittee of the Agri cultural Advisory Board, together with the specially invited swine representa tives, should accept the Invitation of the Food Administration to Join with the Administration and the packers in determining the prices at which con trolled export orders are to be placed. This will be regularly done. The In fluence of these orders will be directed to the maintenance of the common ob ject namely, the stabilization of the price fcf live hogs so as to secure as far a It is possible lair returns to the Food Administration .Inc. It. founda- the agricultural Industry on occasions quale future supply, These foreign orders are placed upon tba basis of cost of bogs to the packers. Aa the result of lont negotiations he-ween this body and th Packers' Committee, rep-esenting the 45 to 60 packers participating In foreign or ders, together with the Allied buyers, al! under the Chairmanship of the Food Administration, the following un dertaking has been given by the pack ers: In view of the undertakings on the part of the Food Administration with legnrd to the co-ordinated purchase of pork products, covered In the at tached. It Is agreed that the packers participating In these orders will un dertake not to purchase hogs for lest than the following agreed mlntmtmis for the month of November, that Is a dally minimum of $17.50 per hundred pounds on average of packers' droves, excluding throw-outs. "Throw-outs" to be defined as pigs under i:iO pounds, stags, boars, thin sows and skips. Further, that no hogs of any kind shall be bought, except throw outs, at less than $16.50 per hundred pounds. The average of packers' droves to be construed as the average of the total sales In the market of all hogs for a given day. All the above to be based on Chieago. We agree that a committee shall be appointed by the Food Administration to check the daily operations in the various markets with a view to super vision and demonstration of the curry ing out of the above. The ability of the packers to carry out this arrangement will depend on there being a normal marketing of hogs based upon the proportionate In crease over the receipts of Inst venr. The increase in production appears to! uc a iiinuiiuiii ui aijuui 1,1 irer cent. and we can handle such an Increase. If the producers of hogs should, as they have in the past few weeks, pre maturely market hogs In such Increas ing numbers over the above It is en tirely beyond the ability of the pack ers to maintain these minlmums, and therefore we must have the co-operation of the producer himself to main tain these results. It Is a physical impossibility for the capacity of the packing houses to handle a similar over-flood of hogs and to And a market for the output The packers are anx ious to co-operate with the producers In maintaining a stabilization of price : and to see that producers receive a fait i price for their products. (Signed) THOS. E. WILSON, Chairman Packers' Committee. The plan embodied above was adopt ed by the conference. The Food Administrator has-appolnt. : I a committee, comprising Mr. Thomas ed , '... w ,- TV"""'! cm voiiiiiuiiee ; mr. r.vereii crown, president of the Chicago Livestock Ex change ; Major Roy of the Food Ad ministration, Mr. Louis D. Hall of the Bureau of Markets, to undertake the supervision of the execution of the plan in the various markets. Commls-; slon men are asked to co-operate In carrying out the plan embodied In the packers' agreement. It must be evi dent that offers by commission men to sell hogs below the minimum estab lished above Is not fair, either to the producer or the participating packers. Mr. Brown has undertaken on behalf of the commission men In the United States that they will loyally support the plan. It is believed by the conference that this new plan, based as It Is upon a ; positive minimum basis, will bring bet-j ter tjesults to the producer than aver-1 the skin becomes Irritated from the age prices for the month. It does not oil, its use should be discontinued, limit top prices and should narrow Small quantities of coal-tar dip are the margins necessary to country btly-' sometimes added to the water In hog ers In more variable markets. It Is wallows, but there Is an element of believed that the plan should work out danger In this practice, as poisoning close to $18 average. I may result from the absorption of Swine producers of the country will phenol by hogs which. He In the wal contribute to their own Interest by ( low more or less continuously, not flooding the market for it must be I On some of the larger hog farms evident that if an excessive over per- wallows are becoming popular. The centage of hogs Is marketed In any cement hog wallow should be located one month price stabilization and con- in a shady place and made so as to trol cannot succeed, and It Is certain ! contain from eight to ten Inches of wa that producers themselves can contrl- ter. A two-inch drain pipe, as recom-' bute materially to the efforts of the mended for the dipping vat, should be conferences If they will do their mark- placed In the bottom of the wallow to etlng in as normal a way as possible. permit its being cleaned out The whole situation as existing at in many cases a farmer is not flnan present demands a frank and explicit dally able to build a hog wallow or a assurance from the conferees repre- dipping vat. If this be the cage, th sented namely, that every possible dip, properly diluted, can be applied effort will be made to maintain a live with a spray pump or sprinkling can, hog price commensurate with swine , 0B. else rubbed on every part of the production costs and reasonable sell- body by means of a brush or a swab ing values In execution of the declared 0f cotton waste t policy ' of the Food Administration Another method of controlling lice to use every agency In its control to , to tie KUnny sackg or glmlar coarS(J secure Justice to the farmer, The stabilization methods adopted for November represent the best ef- forts of the conference, concurred In 'J J,, Influence of the sow upon the off spring Is Just aa great as that of the male. Mlsmating or poor sow will j not only give unsatisfactory results In I breeding, but It will likely discourage j the beginning breeder. This latter, fact would be especially trua of youth j carrying on a home project with swine. I If possible, aecure a pure-bred ani mal of a good strain. The forehead should be broad, the throat clean and trim, the neck moderately thin, the Boulders smooth and deep, tbe back wide and straight, the cheat wide and A Good Type of Brood Sow With Her . Family. j deep, sides straight and deep, the body long and capacious, pelvic region broad and well developed, legs straight and moderately short and a generally refined appearance ; yet overretlnentent j may indicate a delicate constitution. . If a number of brood sows are to be used they should be uniform In type. This is necessary to secure a 1 uniform lot of pigs. It is very unsat isfactory and unprofitable in breeding to have litters of pigs varying in ap-! pearance and lacking uniformity. To insure a uniform result It Is advisable to select from a well-established strain of hogs. I As was indicated in the case of the sow, both parents have practically the same influence on tlii quality of the offspring ; however, the male has the greater influence on the entire hen),' since every pig is sired by the male, . wnereug aI1 pigs do not mlve tne gamg dam. While too much stress cannot ba placed on the Importance of the sow,' If possible the male should be superior, to the sow. Regardless of the type of , tbe sow, a poor mule should never be used. j Secure a pure-bred animal of a good , strain. The masculine characteristics! should be strongly developed, especial-, ly In the head and neck ; the back ; should be broad, straight and deeply' fleshed; sides deep and long; quarters j well developed; legs straight and strong. The animal should stand well ! np on Ms toes. j Overrented sows should be mated to rather masculine males, and coarss sows should be mated to males of high quality Indicated by fine bone, skin and hair. HOG WALLOW DANGEROUS? j Concrete Structures Are Built and Kept Clean, They Have Ad vantages. (Prepared br the United Btates Depart- ment of Agriculture.) Some farmers favor hog wallows; others are strongly opposed to them. Filthy hog wallows are a source of danger. Hogs wallowing In or drink ing contaminated water are likely to contract disease. However, there are many advantages to be derived from wallows. A cool bath Is very cool ing to a hog during the hot weather. It cleans the scurf from the skin and protects the hogs from flies. Crude pe-. troleum, sufficient to form a thin, layer on top of the water, may be poured into the wallow about every ten days, This will tend to keep the hogs free from lice and other skin parasites. If cloths arotfnd a post at a proper height, so that the hogs may rub against them, and saturate the sacks frequently wilii crude petroeum i ' a. 1 Both Papers 1 Year Try a Little Classified Ad. 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