Page 5 of 8 Nov 1917 Issue of Des Moines Iowa Homestead in Des-Moines, Iowa

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Des Moines Iowa Homestead (Newspaper) - November 8, 1917, Des Moines, IowaNovember 8, 1917 t h e Iowa m e s t e and last six years and lost enough the first four. To that with the entirely satisfactory profits of 1916 and 1917 we will be just about where we started out let us remember our country is at War. I am one who believes that Corn should not have been allowed to go above wheat above nor hours above we sold on a basis lower than above and had a very satisfactory year. I believe with the above prices at the country markets and with prices to Consumers and the warring nations fixed accordingly the whole world would have been better off. It seems to me the Farmer should be Well satisfied with present prices although it is True has been a very expensive year. I feel that the men who bought feed ing hogs at 18 to 20 cents should have 117.50 for their fat hogs but i believe prices should be reduced somewhat As soon As possible. The Man who raises his Corn and hogs can make better profits than Ever before in the history of the world. I am not especially interested in this Winter s hog prices As we have disposed of everything except a Little Breeding Stock at a Satis factory figure. We have just purchased a 240-acre farm and we expect to tie to cattle and hogs raising our own Stock and Alfalfa and Sweet Clover Corn and Oats to feed them. Just by Way of emphasizing my Confidence in this line of farming will say that we will keep Twenty five sows regardless of where the Price goes and we Are not expecting 20 cents. In fact if someone would sign a contract to take say pounds of Good live hogs at per hundredweight at our local Stock Yards March 1, 1918, we would Deal instantly and keep thirty five sows mostly old ones. We would not worry about the Price of Corn for we would be fertilizing our land so it will grow better every year. I feel that the peo ple As a whole should be considered. Let us not have a repetition of the enormous and outrageous profits taking which was practice last summer by the packers and Grain and provision gamblers. I heartily agree with your shall the Farmer build never in history have things the Farmer buys been As cheap As now when measured by what we receive for we sell. This letter is brimful of patriotism because Here is an individual who believes that during War times the pro Ducer should be satisfied with Moder ate profits. However the end to be attained on the whole is to increase production of animal fats and meats and that being the Case there is real encouragement in the message published on Page 4 from Joseph p. Cot ton chief of the meat division of the United states food administration. According to or. Cotton s statement every Effort will be put Forth to keep the minimum Price of hogs from going below per hundredweight. Dur ing the year 1918 prices will be con trolled As far As possible by the food administration so that 100 pounds of live weight hogs will sell at least for thirteen times the average Cost per Bushel of the Corn used in producing the hogs. On this basis Dollar Corn will mean hogs. Tual danger of damaging the firebox it the Furnace. In order of their fuel value Hickory must be Given first place. It Burns evenly and As is said holds the heat. The Oaks come next followed by Beech Birch and Maple. Those who live in localities where Timber is relatively plentiful will possibly get bet Ter results by for at least a part of the Coal. Where a fur Nace is operated it frequently happens that a fire must hold for a considerable time and in that Case Coal can be used to great advantage. Furthermore the covering of the grate referred to above Boas to prevent the too rapid combus Tion of Wood can be accomplished by the use of some Coal where soft Coal is burned a Large amount of Ash is present and that Means that there will be a sufficient covering on the grate to reduce the draft to the proper Point for fire. Wood for heating Pur poses. We will face a serious fuel shortage during the Winter months and in View of this special Effort is being put Forth to reduce the amount of Coal ordinarily used for heating purposes. One Means of attaining Tifis end is the substitution of Wood for Coal wherever this is possible. The forestry division of the department of agriculture has recently called attention to the fact that two pounds of seasoned Wood has a fuel value equal to one Pound of Coal. Of course different kinds of Wood have different fuel values but in a general Way the greater the dry weight of a no resinous Wood the More heat it will give out. Such Woods As Hickory Oak Birch hard Maple Ash and Locust have a comparatively High fuel value one Cord of four foot Wood weighing about pounds. A Cord of such Wood is required to equal one ton of Coal. It is a Well known fact that the value of Wood for fuel purposes depends to some extent upon the amount of moisture present. When it is Green Jart of the heat which it is capable of yielding is taken up in evaporating the water and therefore the More water the Wood contains the More heat is lost. Those who Are in a position to sub etl tute Wood for Coal should by All Means use the former. It must be remembered that in burning Wood in an Ordinary Furnace the draft will be too great and it has been suggested that part of the grate be covered with Sheet Iron or Firebrick in order to reduce the draft if this is not done the Wood will be consumed too fast so that heat if wasted and in addition there a sound reason for building. One of our subscribers or. F. F. Everett Points out a different reason for the erection of farm buildings than that referred to in a recent Issue of the Homestead. Among other things lie says after Reading your article in the october 18th Issue on shall the Farmer build i could not resist the temptation to write and give my views on the subject. If a person were View ing this matter from a purely selfish a standpoint of Dol Lars and could be but one answer build everything you want and need. But in these times of War and strife and destruction and Kaiser ism we must be governed by higher broader nobler views than our own selfish interests. In our neighbor Hood we Are beginning to feel the Scarcity of labor to Plant and Harvest our crops and when the next army is raised we shall have great difficulty in obtaining men to Plant and tend and Harvest our crops and upon us devolves the duty of feeding the world. The Man who builds a silo or granary in order to save his Grain builds Well and wisely but the Man who builds be cause he can build More with a Bushel of Corn than Ever before helps the Kaiser. No fault can be found with the View that or. Everett takes of this matter. The carrying put of a building pro Gram because it is possible to put up structures at a relatively Low Cost when one considers the value of farm products is still to be commended be cause after the buildings Are in their place they will serve just As important a purpose in food production and conservation As if the motive that prompted their construction were entirely different. There Are those who believe that this War will be carried on for years and no harm can come from taking this View of the matter with All that it will entail in the Way of preparation. If it should run for years then those who Are in shape to take the Best care of their live Stock and crops will serve their country Best. Hog raising Wiir be prof Itable. According to food administrator Hoover every Pound of fat is As sure of service As every Bullet and every hog is of greater value to the winning of the War that we Are now waging than a Shell. Or. Hoover Points out that m View of the european situation and the american shortage in hogs there is sure to be a High average Price paid for pork products during the coming year and this should be Assurance to stockmen that prices will boys or Hoover says every hog 15 of greater value to the we King of mrs War than a Shell so please get Busy and produce More Job can do that j More hogs for our soldiers More shells for the enemy. Be sufficiently High to make Swine raising profitable. In this connection it is interesting to consider the relation of Cash Revenue from the Grain and the profit from hogs that have been fed on High priced Grain. The Iowa agricultural College reports the Case of j. D. Mcgray who started out last Spring with 105 pigs. Some of these pigs were of March far Row some april and others were far rowed in May. These shoats were sold recently at per Hundred and they averaged 227 pounds. It should be added that Twenty five of the lighter ones sold for per Hun dred. Prom May 23d to october 4th, the Date of s ale they consume 912 Bush Els of Corn and forty lacks of Tankage. This Means that each Shoat consumed practically eight and one half bushels of Corn and thirty eight pounds of Tankage. With Corn at a Bushel and Tankage at a sack the total Cost of the feed was the piss sold for the difference be tween the Selling Price and the Cost of the feed used Between May 23d and october 4th amounted to per head. This does not mean profit because there is not charged up against this account the Cost of wintering the sows and their Spring feed and care up until May 23d. The total weight of the pigs was pounds on May 23d and at 19 cents a Pound they would be Worth subtracting this from the Gross item As Well As the feed Bill we find that there is left a profit of per head. In addition to the Grain these 105 pigs had Access to six acres of Alfalfa and if there is a deduction of per acre for rent there still re Mains a profit of per head. This record was made under farm conditions and what one Man can do with a healthy Bunch of hogs another ought to be Able to accomplish if he up to Date methods. Feeding operations of the present time have been carried on largely with ?2 com and Here is a Case where quite a Satis factory profit was realized on hogs sold at per Hundred. We believe that the stockmen of the Central West Are aiming to produce the pounds of fat and meat products that Are now considered even More important than bullets and it is expected that the food administration will use its influence to see to it that no Condi Tion shall arise that will Knock the Bottom out of meat prices after the product has been made mar Ket As the result of feeding High priced Grain. J raising big litters stockmen of the Central West lose millions of Young pigs every literally millions. This loss is due to two things improper feeding of the Brood sow during the gestation period and secondly Lack of exercise. If we could Cut Down half our usual loss next Spring the fat and meat requirements of our people would be met As Well As the needs of our allies. We want to hear from those who have year after year succeeded in raising big litters. What plan of feeding the Brood sows was adopted and what Means were taken to compel the sows to exercise the Homestead will pay to the writer of the Best letter on this subject and for the Sec Ond Best letter the winning of the War May depend upon the hog crop of 1918. Experienced men can help by passing their experience to those who have not been getting Good re exporting Percheron to Japan. The first Percheron horses Ever Pur chased by a japanese in this country were recently selected by Makota Agata owner of Koiwai farm More Oka Japan from six Ohio studs. Five registered mares and one stallion were secured. These horses will be ship Ped this month to or. Aga to s farm. This news comes from Wayne dins More Secretary of the Percheron society of America who writes us follows concerning the transaction Makato a rata who purchased six has farm in Japan states that there Are some Percheron already m Japan which were brought there from France but that so far As he knows those he selected Are. The first in the United states that there Are Manv Good sized farms in Japan Wowch Are being devoted to the raising of Indian Corn Oats wheat and Barley and that the japanese owners have found it desirable t9 work these farms with gang plows disks seeders and other labor saving machinery Well known to Amer ican Farmers. Most of the horses in Japan Are too Small to handle this heavy machinery and for this reason Percheron Are desired so that the be greased in Eize it has already been found that the Grade Percheron produced by crossing Al Atlee Are their6 8ma11 it appears that there will be a i increase in the number of heavy in Japan during the. Next decade because japanese Farmers Are going to work their land More thoroughly and to use More labor Savina machinery for that purpose

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