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BULLETIN

OFTHE

Agricultural and Mechanical College
of Texas

(in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture)

MARCH, 1916 EXTENSION SERVICE No. B-17

JNO. P.

 

PIGS

 

ADDRESS
CLARENCE OUSLEY
Director of Extension Service, College Station, Texas

0n account 0t‘ the increase in the peanut industry, stimulated in
large degree by the activities of the College during the winter of 1914
and early spring of 1915, it is important at this time to publish the re-
sult of an investigation made by Mr. T. 0. Walton, chief leader
in charge of farm demonstration work, in the growing of
peanuts and the raising of hogs as practiced successfully for several
years by the farmers of Brooks, Lowndes and Colquitt counties in
South Georgia. Mr. Walton’s report is contained in the following
pages, to which are added some observations on the growing of pea-
nuts by Dr. J. Oscar Morgan, Professor of Agronomy, and lby Prof.
J. C. Burns, Professor of Animal Husbandry in the A. and M. College.
These additions are reprints, in part, from our Extension Bulletin
ES-3, entitled “Peas and Peanuts,” published in January, 1915, which
is now exhausted. As soon as funds will permit, that bulletin will
be revised andqrepublished. Meanwhile, those desiring further infor-
mation on the subject of peanuts are advised to write to the Depart-
ment of Agriculture, Washington, D. C., for Farmers’ Bulletins Nos.
411 and 431 and Circular No. 98. The primary object of this publi-
cation of the South Georgia experiences is to exhibit the success of
‘farmers in combining peanuts with hogs. Incidentally, the bulletin
shows, also, how peanut-fed pork may be handled to the best ad-
vantage; how meats may be cured at home, and how local ice plants
may serve the farmers in their neighborhoods at small expense and
fair profits.

It is important for farmers who raise peanuts to ibear in mind
that if both the nuts and the hay are sold from the farm and no sys-
tem of rotation is practiced, the soil will be rapidly depleted in fier-
tility. The peanut has come to be a fairly staple product, and there
is every reason to anticipate that market conditions will demand
a large supply in 1916. But it would be a calamity if farmers should
bc tempted by attractive prices for the nuts and hay to neglect the
vital problem of maintaining the fertility of their soils. As will be
shown in this bulletin and as has Ibeen demonstrated everywhere
throughout the history of agriculture the world over, the most profit-
able method of selling edible farm produ-cts is by feeding them to
live stock.

The Experiment Station of Texas is now conducting some inter-
esting and promising experiments on the feeding value of peanut
cake, and in due time the results will be announced. But at the best,
it is not likely that the farmer will find a more profitable method of
handling peanut products than by feeding them to hogs and finish-
ing on other feeds to harden the flesh.

CLARENCE OUSLEY, Director.

GEORGIA EXPERIENCES.
By T. O. Walton, Chief in Charge of Farm Demonstration Work

In going into the production of hogs on peanuts, it is well to keep
in mind the fact that to produce pork cheaply we must furnish cheap
feed in quantities sufficient to keep the pigs growing from farrow-
ing time until the hogs are ready for market. In order to do this
successfully the farmer must carefully plan his farm -crops and pas-
tures so that he can have grazing throughout the entire year. We
must realize that the hog, in his wild state, is a grazing animal, that
he will do best on crops that he can graze, and that the most profita-
ble meats are produced from feeds that the hog can harvest himself.
Perhaps the crop of first consideration in producing cheap pasture
is Bermuda grass. Without question, a combination of Bermuda
grass and bur clover, rescue grass and Japanese clover will give the
best results for a permanent pasture for hog grazing; .that is, in trsegc-
tions of the state where the soil and climate are adapted to growing‘
these crops. If the soil is reasonably good and you have, bur clover
and Bermuda sod, the Bermuda will furnish grazing throughout the
spring and summer months and the bur clover will come in diving the
early winter months and last until the Bermuda has a start the next
spring. On good soils in South and East Texas these two crops should
give good grazing for at least nine months each year, and in some sec-
tions of the state the grazing period will be longer. If the farm is loca-
ted in sections of the state where the soil and climate are not adapted to
growing Bermuda grass, the farmer will have to depend on some other
grazing crop, such as oats, sudan grass, rye, vetch, ‘barley, wheat and
rape or some crop adapted to the peculiar section or soil. Not only
will such crops as oats and rye sown in the fall produce good grazing
crops for hogs throughout the winter months, but they will serve as
a winter covler crop and be of material benefit to the soils. Aside
from the value of these crops as grazing crops, in sections of the
state where we have sufficient moisture to make cover crops profit-
able they will conserve enough of the soil’s fertility to pay for seed-
ing, and whatever grazing they afford is a profit to the farmer.

PLANTING—In planting the peanut for hogs, the nuts should be
planted just as soon as the soil is thoroughly prepared and the danger
of frost is past and should be ready to graze in from ninety to- one
hundred and twenty days, the time depending upon the variety planted,
soil and the weather conditions. When planting peanuts for grazing
the farmer should bear in mind that the number of acres to be
planted at each planting should be governed by the number of hogs
to be fed. A safe basis upon which to make this cal-culation is that
soils which will produce an average of from thirty-five to forty
bushels an acre will graze ten head of hogs, weighing on an average

3

of one hundred and forty pounds at the beginning of ‘the grazing

period, for from twenty-five to thirty days. The number of acres
to be planted at each planting can easily <be calculated upon this
basis. If other feeds are to be used in connection with the peanut
to form part of the ration, then the grazing period of the nuts will
be correspondingly increased.

In general farming, most farmers find it advisable to plant their
peanuts and corn in alternate rows-—corn rows seven feet apart, with
a row of peanuts between the rows of corn. If the practice has been
to plant corn in rows three and one-half feet apart, with stalks three
feet in the drill, rows seven feet apart with stalks eighteen inches
in the drill will give the same number of stalks per acre, and if the
stand is good the corn yield per acre will be practically the same.
In fact, thle experience of practical farmers and results obtained at
the Texas Experiment Stations indicate that there is very little dif-
ference in the total yield of corn per acre on the thinnger soils when
this method of planting is practiced. This will give at least half
as many peanuts as if the entire acreage were occupied by the pea-
nut crop alone. There is also an additional saving in the cost of
cultivation where the corn is planted in wide rows, as the peanuts-
are usually not planted until the corn is well advanced in its growth.
This being the case, it is much eeasier to keep the wide middles free
from weeds and grass than if every row were planted to corn, and
this method has the further advantage 04f giving a partial crop rota-
tion, provided the corn is planted on the peanut row the following
If we are to maintain thle fertility of our soils it is absolutely

year.
necessary that we practi-ce crop rotation. Suggestions follow:
FIGURE 1.
NO. 4: N0. 5: NQ, 5;

Oats, Rye, Wheat,
Barley, or Vetch fol-
lowed with peanuts
and sweet potatoes

Oats, Rye, Barley,
Wheat or Vetch fol-
lowed with peanuts
and sweet potatoes

Soudan or Alfalfa.
If Soudan is used fol-
low with peanuts and
sweet potatoes.

NO. 1:

Corn and Peanuts

Corn in seven foot
rows with peanuts be-
tween rows of corn.

NO. 2:

Bermuda. Grass, Bur
Clover, Japan Clover
and Rescue Sod.
Permanent Pasture.

NO. 3:

Corn and Peanuts

Corn in seven foot
rows with peanuts be-
tween rows of corn.

Figure No. 1 gives a farm of twelve (12) acres laid out in con--

venient form for hog growing. As will be seen by reference to this
illustration, the crops are so planned that a farmer can carry on a.
systematic rotation. This will surely give him a decided increase.
in soil fertility from year to year. This twelve-acre field is planned
to care for two b-rood sows with their ofitsprings of two litters each.
a. year. These, properly handled, should bring a gross income of

4

from $275.00 to $300.00 a year, which is a very-satisfactory return
from the acreage.

The table below gives in convenient form the time of planting
different crops and time required to produce grazing from the time
of planting.

GREEN CROPS FOR HOG RAISING

Number of Days

 

Crop. Time to Plant Seed Per Acre Until Ready to
= Graze

alralra Sept. 1, Oct. 15 25 lbs. per a. 90 to 120 days

l" Clover Sept. 1. Oct. 31 as lbs. in bur 60 to 120 days

‘W198i Sept. 1, Nov. 1 3-4 bu. 60 to 80 days

091$ Sept. _1, Nov 30 2 1-2 bu. ch. 60 to 80 days

Rye Sept. 1, Nov 30 3-4 bu. with vet 60 to 90 days

Jetch Sept. 1, Nov 30 1-2 bu. with oat 60 to 75 days
Rape Sept. 1, Nov. 1 5 to 8 lbs. .

SPRING AND SUMMER PLANTING

Iapan Clover Feb. 15, Mar. 15 25 lbs. seed 60 to 75 days
Peanuts $513‘: i3 1215-1232 i 1-2 bu. in hull 100 to 120 days
Rape pet, 1, Man 15 a to 8 lbs. 60 to 75 days
Oats As early as slips 2 1-2 bu. per a. 60 to 90 days
Sweet Potatoes are ready

Sudan Grass Mar. 15, Apr. 15 20 lbs. 25 to 35 days

The writer has made frequent reference to Circular No. 30, U. S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture.

FARROWING——It is a general practice of farmers who are grow-
ing hogs on peanuts to so farrow their pigs that when they are ready
for market they will range in age from eight to twelve months. They
plan to keep the pigs growing from farrowing time until the time
they are ready to be finished on peanuts on cheap, succulent feeds
and farm waste. Many of them use skimmed milk in connection
with their green grazing crops. If the crops are properly planned
in most sections of Texas, we -can have peanuts ready for grazing
by July 15 at the latest; and if our plans contemplate caring for the
offspring of two brood sows, crops in the above outline will be
sufficient to keep them growing with enough feed to finish them
before killing time. This is assuming that each sow raises two litters
a year of six pigs each. -

The farmers of Brooks County, Georgia, find that under ordinary
farm conditions they are producing pork on an average cost not to
exceed 21/1, cents a pound. Of course, the final cost of the produlct
will be dependent upon the -cost of carrying the pigs until the time
they are placed in peanut fields, but if cheap feedsl have been used
in the early growing period the price will not be far in excess of 2 cents
a pound, if the hogs are finished on peanuts.

PEANUT-FED PORK—-There has been considerable question
raised by the packers in regard to the quality of peanut-fed meat

5

and in a measure their contenti-on seems to be justifiable. It is evi-
dent, upon the examination of lbacon that has been produced alto-
gether upon peanuts and. succulent feed, that it is not quite so firm
in texture as the corn-finishfed product, and the shrinkage is some-
what greater. Therefore, it is advisable for the farmer to use some
feeds that will have a tendency to harden the flesh of the animals
immediately before slaughtering time; yet it seems doubtful that
corn can be used economically for this purpose at present prices;
therefore, we must turn our attention to some other feed.

The Georgia farmers are using sweet potatoes, velvet beans, and
cowpeas to a good advantage for this purpose. They take, as a
basis for the acreage of these crops, one acre of potatoes, or the
other crops mentioned, for every four acres of peanuts. These are
very cheap feeds and are giving approximately as good results to
the farmers using them as the more expensive feeds, such as corn.
I believe that from the experien-ce of the farmers in that community
a combination of these crops will practically solve the problem of
cheap feeds for hardening and finishing during the last thirty to
fifty days of the feeding period.

It is proper to state in this connection and as bearing upon state-
ments elsewhere in this report that the Texas packers discriminate
sharply between peanut-fed and corn-fed hogs. No doubt they do so
for good business reasons, and until such timje as experience may
develop the higher value of peanut-fed pork or until such time as
other rations for finishing may be found to take the place of the more
expensive corn, the Tlexas farmer should base his calculations upon
the certainty that the peanut-finished pork will be dicounted in the
market. This report contains some interesting observations on this
point and the hope is indulged that experiments and further testing
may result in a higher price for peanut-finished pork than it now
commands. However, until such demonstration is made, the Texas
producer must accept the conditions as they exist.

The Georgia packers and wholesale dealers who handle peanut-
fed products are of the opinion that it is not so much a question of
the peanuts producing such inferior meat, as it is the method of
handling the hog until the time he is ready to be killed.

Mr. C. L. Brooks, the superintendent of the packing house at
Moultrie, Georgia, gives it as his opinion that if the farmers will
keep the pigs growing steadily from farrowing time until they arle
placed on the peanut fields, so that the muscles and tissues are
evenly and uniformly developed, the shrinkage of the peanut-fed
meat will be very little more than in cormfed products. The diffi-
culty comes largely from the fact that the farmers do not keep thle
hogs in thrifty condition until the time they are placed on the plea-
nut fields. As he stated it, the hogs are allowed to run on the rangle
until they are a “stack of bones and hide,” and then they graze flhe

6

hogs for ninety days on the nut field, which causes the hogs to put
on a very soft and oily fat without a proppr proportion of muscle
and tissue development; therefore when this product is subjected
to the curing process the shrinkage is much greater than it should be.

From the Texas packers’ standpoint the peanut-fed hogs are seem-
ingly not as desirable as the corn-fed products, but when it comes to
a question of handling hogs for profit, and when it costs the farmer
from 8 to 10 cents a pound to produce his product, which will surely
be the case if his hogs are fattemed on corn altogether, his profits
will not be satisfactory. The Georgia farmers have solved this
problem by producing their ‘hogs on peanuts in combination with
the grazing crops mentioned, and are selling their products through
wholesale dealers and jobbers and are getting very satisfactory
returns.

Mr. F. J. Faircloth, a jobber of Quitman, Georgia, makes a specialty
of handling peanut-fed meats. He sells the sides at the same price
that Swift and Armour get for their dry salt, and the hams he sells
at a premium from 2 to 2% cents a pound over the highest grades of
packing house products. During the last year this concern alone
sold over 250,000 pounds of peanut-fed meat, shipping it to a number
of different states—some of it coming as far west as Texas. There
is at least $500,000 worth of this product shipped out of Brooks
County each year, and that section where the farmers have been
in the hog and peanut business longest shows the greatest evidence
of prosperity.

This great industry has not grown up there in a year, but the
farmers of that section have made a study of this problem for a long
while, and we can profit materially by their experiences. In the first
place they have made a very careful study of the economical pro-
duction of hogs, keeping well in mind such cropping systems as are
herein recommended, and they are building up their soils from sea-
son to season. Furthermore, they have made a careful study of
the question of handling the meats during the curing procless, and of
the very important question of standardizing and marketing their
product. '

HOME SLAUGHTERING-When the hogs are ready to kill it is
well _not to kill too many at once, as the best results in cleaning will
be obtained if all the dirt and hair is removed from all parts of the
body before the surface gets cold. Should a scalded part once get
cold it is very difficult to clean, and meat not well cleaned does not
look attractive to the buyer. After scraping and dressing, thle meat
should be cut in uniform sizes and carefully trimmed. This is a part
of the work that is too often negle-cted. It is not every farmer who
KIIOWS how to trim meat so that it will sell to the ibesfl advantagb,
and when the product is to be handled by a jobber it must be uni-

7

form throughout, and for many farmers to have uniform meat they
must all cut and trim just alike.

The Georgia farmers solved this pro-blem by hiring an expsert
trimmer from the packing house to come and teach them through
their farmers’ clubs. Every man that is to sell to the jobbers of
that part of the state must know the rules for trimming meat and
must live up to them, or his products will not be handled at the same

price that is paid for the uniform product. It will pay any group
of farmers who contemplate going into the meat business to hire
an expert from a packing house to comp and teach them how to
trim their meats.

After the meat is properly trimmed it must all still be handled
in the same careful way, so that the entire output of a community
will be uniform. The Georgia practice is to sprinkle with salt and
bulk for from two to four hours, after which the meat is ready to
take down and spread during the night, so that all the animal heat
will get out of the meat. The first salting should be done in the
early period of the evening, so that it can be spread before too late
at night. The next morning the meat is ready to salt and pack.
lf you are using the home plant it is ready to pack in the plant;
otherwise pack in box or bin which you have prepared for the pur-
pose. The best nesults will be obtained from the use of about 300
pounds of salt to every 1,000 pounds. of meat. Let the meat lie in
salt from 20 to 30 days, depending upon the size of parts and upon
weather conditions, after which it is ready to scald, hang and smoke.

Be sure to scald and wash in boiling water. After the meat is
hung in the smokehouse it should be smoked from ‘five to eight days
-—smoked from hickory wood. If hickory wood is not to be had, then
the next best wood would be maple or oak. In smoking be careful
not to have too much heat dinectly under the meat, as excessive
heat will cause excessive waste from dripping. Many farmers find
it profitable to place their fires on the outside of the buildings in
which the meat is hung and convey the smoke into the building by
means of pipes. This method will give excellent results. After the
meat is smoked until thoroughly [brown on the outside, the sides
are then ready for the market. However, the hams receive a further
treatment, generally as follows: After the hams are carefully
wrapped with cheese cloth or some similar wrapper, they are dipped

in a paste made of four pounds of lime (air slack) to three pounds .

of flour; add water enough to make paste and dip the hams after
they have been wrapped. The other treatment used is hickory ashes,
syrup, and black pepper. Take enough syrup to make a thick paste
of the hickory ashes, season with black peppier to suit the taste, and
cover the outside of the hams with this paste. This is applied to
the surface of the meat. The hams may then be wrapped in cheede

8

cloth or brown paper if the farmer so desires, but it is not necessary
to do this.

Peanut-fed hams handled in this way are much in demand, as
the peanut-fed meats have a very pleasing flavor that can be o-b-
tained only from the feeding of nuts. It is well for us to remember,
however, that every ham is handled in the same way, and that it is
standardized just as the packer standardizes his product. The farm-
ers and business men take a pride in advertising these products.
Some of the farmers’ clubs brand their products “Brooks County
Peanut-Fed Bacon,” or “Brooks County Peanut-Fed Hams.”

The lard from peanut-fed hogs is said not to be as good as lard
from corn-fed hogs, as it melts at a lower temperature, but the
Georgia farmers have solved the lard question as far as home con-
sumption is concerned. They use beef fat along with their peanut-
fed fat at the rate of one pound of beef fat to four pounds of peanut‘-
fed fat. This makes a nice white lard that will not melt at a lower
temperature than our corn-fed lard and that will keep indefinitely.
The housewives use this from one season to another, and it is as
fresh at the expiration of the year as is the corn-fed lard. It is
equally as white. This product does not bring quite as much on
the market as pure corn-fed lard, ‘but it will answer all the needs for
home consumption and is surely to b-e preferred to ‘buying compounds
at the store. ,

The surplus that is to be sold to the jobber brings as much on the
market as corn-fed lard. This, of 'course, does not have the beef fat

' in it, and is sold and used before the hot summer sets in. If the

farmer cares to wait for the higher prices that are to be paid later
in the season, by the addition o-f beef fat to his peanut-fed fat he
can have a product that will stand the heat equally as well as corn-
fed lard and that can be sold as a compound at any time during
the summer.

HOME CURING PLANTS-The farmers of South Georgia are
using three methods in handling the peanut-fed meats: First, the
home curing process; second, whtere the ice plant cures the meat for
the farmer, and third, where it is sold direct to the packer.

In order that they may be enabled to handle their hogs to best
advantage, that is, that they may market thlem at any time they see
fit, they have insured their products against fluctuation in markets
by arranging to cure their meats at home if necessary. This they
do by the means of the home curing plant, illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings. This house may be enlarged to serve the needs
of a community.

These plants are erected by a number of farmers on their indi-
vidual farms, and are built of such capacity as will enable them
to care for the number of hogs they expect to grow on their rfarms.
This is a very satisfactory method of handling the product, but with

9

WORKING DRAWINGS OF A FARM MEAT CURING PLANT

By the Extension Dept. 0f the A. and M. College.

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MATERIALS FOR HOME MEAT CURING HOUSE.

2-2x6x18 for sill, 26-2x4x10 for studs, 7-2x4x14 for meat racks, ice bunker joists and rafters, 5-2x4x18 for ceiling joists
and girders for ice bunker, 8-1x4x18 for ice bunker slats and door trim, 9-1x6x12 for corner boards and door trim,
4-1x6x18 for outside trim, 10-1x3x10 slats for meat racks, ~160-1x8x18 shiplap for siding inside and outside, 3 sheets
galvanized iron 3 feet by 8 feet, 1 tin gutter 8 feet long, 500 common brick, 1 cubic yard of sand, 1 cubic yard of
broken stone or gravel, 1-2 barrel of lime, 6 sacks of Portland cement, 90 feet 2 ply roofing 30 inches wide, 36 feet
tin flashing.

the home curing plant we find the very best results can be obtained
by the farmers co-operating and building a plant of this kind suf-
ficient to care for the products of an entire community. If ten
farmers will unite and build a plant of sufficient size to care for
the meat of the entire neighborhood, and hire one man to take care
of it and pay him for his services, it will be a mono economical way
of handling the products than if each farmer should plan and build
his own plant. The meat can be cured in an individual plant for
an average of 1% cents a pound, while in the co-operative plant the
cost can be reduced to 1%. dent a pound, if the plant is properly
handled.

As will be seen from the illustrations, the home curing plant is
nothing more than a large refrigerator, built on correct principles.
and if a plant of this kind is convenient to the farmers they can
kill hogs at any season, knowing that their meat is insured against
change in weather conditions. Of course, if it is planned to save
meat in one of these plants during the hotter months of the year,
the total cost of curing the product will be materially increased.
Figures above given are based on condition that the meat is killed
during the winter months. Meat that is handled through the storage
plant is treated in the same way, until it is ready to salt in the
plant, as if it is to be cured by the old method. Salt down in the
plant just as you would in the box, after the mteat has been spread
for the night, or after the animal heat is out of the meat. Ice is
then placed in the bunkers and the temperature is kept down as low
as 36 to 40 degrees F. Temperatures may run above this without
doing any damage, b-ut it is best to keep them just as low as possible.
The meat is left in the plant for from 25 to 45 days, depending
upon the size of the animal. After it has thoroughly taken salt it is
then ready to take out, scald, hang and smoke in the same way as
described for home curing.

ICE PLANT CURlNG—The second process is that of curing the
meat in the local i-ce plant. In most instances I am of the opinion
that this is the safest and most economical way of handling the
meat, especially if the ice plants are prepared to care for the meat
that is killed at any time during the year and the farmers do not
live too far from the ice plant. The ice and light plant of Valdosta,
Georgia, has been curing meat for the farmers of the county for
the past three seasons. The plan adopted is to use the summer
storage rooms for the purpose of curing meat during the winter
months. Aside from the building of the storage rooms, any ice plant
can prepare to take care of ‘from 200,000 to 300,000 pounds of meat
at any time at a cost not to exceed $75.00. In fact, the only additional
cost afiier the rooms are built is for lumber and labor to make the
bins to separate the different lots of meat. They can be built of
cheap material and any carpenter can build they. Bins are built in
sections 2x4, 4x4, etc; material 1x3—rough lumber can be used.

10

As will be seen, the bins are constructed of different sizes. This
is in order that the manager can care for any sized lot of meat that the
farmer might bring at one time. If he has only 200 or 300 pounds, a
bin of small size will answer just as well as a large one.

After the bins are built in the storage rooms and the salt is se-
cured, the ice man is ready to begin curing meats. When the farmer
brings in his meat it is weighed, pieces counted, and the meat is
salted in the bins. The bin is numbered and the farmer is given
a duplicate receipt calling for so many pieces of meat of a certain
weight, located in bin No. 1, 2, 3, etc. After the meat has lain in
salt until it is thoroughly cured or has taken salt, the farmer is
notified and upon his return with the duplicate receipt his meat is
weighed back to him, giving him the same meat he brought to the
plant, the same number of pieces and pounds. The ice company
furnishes everything and makes a charge of 1 cent a pound for this
work.

If the customers desire the company will smoke the meat for an-
other cent and wrap it for still another; it is optional with the farmer
whether he has it wrapped or smoked, or ‘both. If he would rather
do this work he can take the meat to his smokehouse and do the
work himself. If hie does this his cured product will cost him only
1 cent a pound, with whatever additional expenses he is put to in
hauling the meat to and from the ice plant.

There are certain points of co-operation in the handling of meat
in this way if we are to glet the best results. First, the farmers
should all kill as nearly at the same time as possible; that is, they
should arrange to carry as mu-ch meat to the plant in two or three
days as the plant can conveniently handle, as bringing in small lots
from day to day will increase the expenses that the ice plant will
incur in handling the meat and will correspondingly decrease “the
profits. The farmers should see that their meats are uniform and
that they are carried to the plant just as soon as all the animal heat
is out of the body. Do not make the mistake of waiting until the
meat has begun to sour, trusting to luck and the weather, but carry
the product to the ice plant immediately after slaughtering. That
this method is satisfactory to thle farmers is evidenced by the fact
that during the first season the plant at Valdosta cured meat for
the farmers it handled about 90,000 pounds, the second year 150,000
pounds, and this year it will handle 250,000 pounds. Of this vast
amount of meat handled the plant has a record of not having turned

out a single piece of meat that spoiled.

When the meat is delivered at the plant it is immediately salted
with the flesh side down and left this way for a period of five
days. This is done in order that the watpr and blood that is drawn
out by the salt can run off without soaking into the pieces of meat
immediately under it, for it will be seen that the hide on the lower

11

piece forms a covering that turns thle water. After it has lain this
way for five days it is taken up and re-salted with the flesh side up
this time. It is allowed to lie in salt for ten days, when it is again
taken up and re-salted. After this it is allowed to lie in the salt
from 20 to 35 days, depending upon the size of the meat, the room
being kept at a temperature of from 33 to 35 degrees F. It is than
ready to take up, hang and smoke. In handling the larger pieces,
such as hams and shoulders, it is best to give an injection 01f brine
around the bone. This will hasten the time necessary to get it to
take the salt thoroughly.

It is the opinion of the owners of the ice plant at Valdosta that
any plant in the warmer sections of the South can well arfiford to
arrange to -care for the farmers’ meat at the very low price of 1 cent
a pound. This plant has found it profitable. Some ice men may
advance the argument that there are not enough hogs to justify
them going into the business, and such an argument was made at
Valdosta, yet it has paid at that plant from the very first year and
the volume of business has more than doubled in three years. If
the local ice company will erect a cooling room, especially for curing
meat, the farmers can slaughter at any time the hogs are ready.
This will insure better prices for the farmer, as he can usually finish
his hogs to best advantage during the late summer or early fall.
As a rule, this is the season of high prices for cured meats. If the
farmer can be assured that he can slaughter his hogs at any season
of the year it will encourage him in going into the hog business, as
he will ibe assured that by this method he can market his products
gradually and obtain the highest market prices at all times.

LOCAL SLAUGHTERING PLANT—The third method that the
Georgia farmers are using in handling peanut-fed products is through
the packing plant at Moultrie, Ga. This plant is owned and operated
by the people of that town, and has a capacity of 850 head of hogs
a day. The plant cost $150,000, and $150,000 are required for operat-
ing expenses during the period of a year. The hogs are shipped
from a radius of about 150 miles. This packing house buys directly
from the farmers through local buyers at different points through-
out the hog growing section. If the farmer so desires, he can ac-
company his shipments to Moultrie and deal directly with the pack-
ers themselves. This is a very satisfactory method of doing busi-
ness, as the farmer has an opportunity to see his hogs weighed and
can receive his check before leaving the plant.

This company is paying thie same price for peanut-fed ho-gs as
for the corn-fed product; however, this price is somewhat lower than
is paid at some of the central markets throughout the country. On
the 17th of January the packers at Moultrie were paying from $5.25
to $6.85 per 100 pounds for the hogs they were receiving. The bulk
of sales on that date at this plant were from $6.55 to $6.70. On the

12

same date the markets at Chicago were from $5.60 to $7.45, bulk of
sales at $6.95; the St. Louis market, $6.00 to $7.30; the Kansas City
market, $6.25 to $7.20, bulk of sales $6.90 to $7.15; the Fort Worth
market, $6.10 to $7.25. However, as this market is very much closer
to the farmers the shipping shrinkage is considerably less. In fact,
the shrinkage from Moultrie to St. Louis, if the hogs were shipped,
would be from six to nine pounds per 100 pounds, while the ship-
ping shrinkage from a radius of from 50 to 150 miles of the Moultrile
plant would not be more than an average of three pounds per 100
pounds; therefore, it is more economical for the farmer to sell his
products at slightly reduced prices at Moultrie rather than ship
them long distances to central markets.

The packing house people at Moultrie are of the opinion that pea-
nut fed meats are not quite so desirable from the packers’ standpoint
as the corn-fed products, due primarily to the fact that the dressing
and curing shrinkage is somewhat greater in the peanut-fed hogs
than in meats that have bfeen hardened on corn. The manager, Mr.
C. L. Brooks, says that this will amount to approximately % cent
per pound of live weight. However, he does not agree that the meat
is of an inferior quality, but contends that when it is standardized
it is as good as the cornsfed product. This company has no troublfie
in selling; at a satisfactory price all peanut-fed meats that they are
able to cure and store.

A further contention has been made that the lard from peanut-
fed- fat is not equal to the lard from corn-fed products, as it melts
at a lower temperature than the corn-fed lard, but this concern
claims that by its process of handling the lard it will stand up
equally as well as the corn-fed lard.. However, Mr. Brooks makes the
further statement that in -case the lard would melt at a lower tem-
perature, by extracting 20 per cent of the oil from the peanut-fed
fat the remainder of the fat will carry just as well as the cornsfed
product, and he has a ready sale for all the oil that he can extract
at 3 cents per pound more than he gets for the lard.

This company seems to be satisfied with the profits obtained
from the handling of peanut-fed products up to this time, as they
have doubled the capacity of their plant after having operated it for
two season.

CONCLUSION—It was the purpose of the writer, in all investi-
gations upon ‘the subject of producing and handling peanut-fed hogs,
to make a thorough study at each point and in the light of the
conditions that he found in that part of Georgia visited it is very
evident that the farmers are getting profitable returns ‘from their
soils through handling their products by the methods outlined. A
large per cent of the lands of Texas are well adapted to the growing
of peanuts, and our farmers will make no mistake in going into the
hog and peanut businless, provided they are willing to carefully plan

13

their farm operations and be content with a reassonable profit. It
is well, however, for the farmer to remember that he is apt to make
some mistakes, even though he may plan operations as carefully as
possible, but he can safely hope to get reasonable returns from the
very beginning.

I should like to stress the importance of co-operation among farm-
ers in communities where they are growing a large acreage in pea-
nuts for the purpose of fattening hogs, as it will be necessary to re-
duce the cost of production and handling to the minimum if the
greatest profits are to be received. The farmers of a community
contemplating the growing of a large acreage in these crops to be
marketed through hogs should first confer among themselves and
ascertain whether they can have a local organization for marketing
their productsr It is not absolutely necessary to have such an or-
ganization, ‘but the best results can always be secured where the
farmers of a community are working together. The next step will
be to enlist the co-operation of the local business men of the nearest
towns for thie selling of these products. This, however, will not be
a difficult matter, as the jobbers in any community are willing to
handle such meats when the meats have been properly cured, so that
they can secure as much as a carload for shipping to the trade at a
time.

THE PRODUCTION OF PEANUTS.

By J. Oscar Morgan, Professor of Agronomy, A. and M. College of
Texas.

The peanut will grow on a rather wide variety of soils. It will
not thrive on low, wet soils or soils that are distinctly acid. Nuts
of the highest market quality are produced only on rather light
colored sandy or loamy soils. Highly colored clay soils stain or dis-
color the nuts, thereb-y reducing their market valule. When grown
as stock foods, however, the color of the shell is of no importance
and high yields are often obtained from the heaviest clay soils.

PREPARING THE SEED-BED—Clay soils or soils on which there
1s considerable vegetable matter are preferably plowed in the fall
for peanuts. This permits the vegetable matter to decompose before
the crop is planted. Soils thus plowed should be thoroughly disced
in the spring before planting.

Sandy or loamy soils are usually plowed in the late winter or
early spring. It is best that they be plowed at least a month before
planting. This permits the seed-bed to settle and also hastens the
germination of weed seeds which can then be easily and cheaply de-
stroyed by means of the harrow before planting. The depth of plow-
ing will depend somewhat upon the character of the soil and the
time of plowing. In general, clay soils should be plowed deeper than
sands. Care must be exercised, however, to see that an excessive

14

amount of inert subsoil is not plowed up at any one time-. Clays
that havie been plowed shallow in previous years should be deepended
gradually by plowing -from one to one and a half! inches deeper each
year than was practiced the preceding year until the proper depth
is reached. Very deep plowing should be avoided if done; a short=
while before planting. See that the soil is thoroughly pulverized by
means of the harrow before the crop is planted.

BARNYARD MANURE—lt is usually unwise to apply stable or
barnyard manure directly to the peanut crop for two important
reasons:

1. Barnyard manure usually contains large quantities of weed
seeds which greatly interfere with peanut production.

2. The use of manure also has a tendency to produce a too rank
growth of tops and also a large percentage of “pops” or poorly filled
pods. The best practice is to apply the manure to the preceding
crop, thus giving it time to thoroughly decompose and become a part
of the soil in which form it is very beneficial to peanuts,

FERTlL|ZERS—On sandy and loamy soils the peanut responds-
readily to the use of commercial fertilizers. It must be remembered,
however, that the peanut is a legume and consequently the fierti~
lizer should contain little or no nitrogen, as this element is secured
from the air. On very poor soils it has been found advisable to add
a small quantity of nitrogen, say 30 or 40 pounds of Nitrate of Soda.
per acre, at the time of planting to nourish the plants until they
develop sufficiently to secure their nitrogen from the air.

In genieral the fertilizer mixture that gives best results for pea--
nuts is 250 pounds of acid phosphate and 5O to 75 pounds of muriate
of potash per acre. '

All fertilizing materials should be applied before or at the time
of planting the crop. The best method is to apply them in the
drill and thoroughly mix them with the soil before planting.

L|ME—~A considerable amount of lime in the soil is necessary for
peanuts. Soils deficient in lime produce low yields and also a rather
large percentage of unfilled pods. Most sandy and loamy soils are
deficient in lime and for this reason soils of this character usually
receive an application of from 600 to 1,000 pounds of slacked lime
per acre at least two weeks before planting the crop. This lime
should be spread broadcast and thoroughly harrowed into the soil.

PLANTING-On well drained soils, peanuts should be planted
level. The usual practice is to open furrows 30 or 36 inches apart
in which the fertilizers are drilled, if these materials are to be
used. The fertilizers are best distributed by means of a common
fertilizer distributor. They are often distributed by hand. It is
well to have a cultivator or some other suitable implement follows
the fertilizer distributor to better mix the fertilizers with the soil.

Soils that are not well drained are usually ridged for peanuts.

15

This is done by means of a small turn-plow or other suitable imple-
ment. The ridge is formed immediately over the fertilizer and should
be partially harrowed down or flattened by means of a fine-tooth
harrow before planting. The peanuts may be planted by hand or by
means of a community planter which can be b-ought for $15.00.

The large podded varieties should be hulled before planting.
Small podded varieties such as the Spanish variety are usually

‘planted in the pod. When planted in the pod, germination may be

hastened by soaking the peanuts in water for a few hours just be-
fore planting. Approximately two bushels of unhulled seed or one-
half bushel of hulled peanuts are required to plant an acre. The
plants should ‘qe left from seven to twelve inches apart in the row,
depending on the variety. The large ‘podded variety should have the
greater spacing. Planting should not be done‘ until the soil has
become thoroughly warm in the spring. Little is to -be gained by
planting pleanuts in a cold soil. .

CULTIVATION.-—The cultivation of the peanut crop may well
begin before the plants are up by running a weeder or section-
harrow diagonally across the rows. After the plants are well up,
tillage by separate rows bsegin. There is little difference between
the cultural methods for peanuts and for such crops as corn, peas,
etc. It is especially important that such implements be used as will
keep the soil thoroughly pulverized close to the plants. This facili-
tabes the entrance o-f the fruit stems or “pegs” into the soil. Culti-
vators with small points on the side next to the row are quite satis-
factory for this purpose. Hoeing should be done only when neces-
sarys to keep down weeds and grass.

HA'RVEST|NG.—The greatest value of thle peanut crop to Texas
farmers is as a pasture crop for hogs. When used for this purpose
the hogs should be allowed to harvest the crop. When grown for
the market, the crop should be dug before frost. The proper stage
of maturity for harvesting is indicated by the tendency of the pods
about the base of the plant to shed, and the vines to turn yellow.

Various methods of harvesting pleanuts for the market are prac-
ticed. In many cases the plants are merely plowed from the ground
with a one-horse turning plow and afterwards separated from the
soil by hand. Another and very common method is to remove the
moldboard from a turning plow and run the plowshares under the
row on each side at a sufficient depth not to sever the pods from
the vines. The side from which the moldboard is removed is kept next
to the row. The plants are lifted by hand or by means of forks, and
the dirt carefully shaken from them. They are then thrown in small
piles to dry. The potato digger may be viery satisfactorily used in
harvesting peanuts.

STACKlNG.—As soon as the plants have sufficiently dried, which
requires about three or four hours, they are put in small stacks.

16

Poles about seven feet long are driven securely in the ground.
Around the base of each pole a few pieces of short poles are placed
to keep the peanuts off the ground. The pieanuts are stacked with
the vines out and nuts in next to the pole. The stacks should be
made rather slender and tapering toward the top to shed water.
Each stack is usually capped with grass to protect the nuts.

P|CKlNG.—Peanuts should not be picked from the vines until
the pods have become dry and the peas firm. A better grade of pea-
nuts will be secured if picking is deferred until late autumn. The
greater part of the crop is picked by hand. Machines are in use
for picking peanuts. Th-ey are profitable where the crop is grown
extensively. Most machines have a tendency to crack a portion of
the pods. Names of manufacturers of picking or threshing machinery
will be furnished on application.

The picked pods should not be exposed to dampness as this
discolors them, reducing their market value.

FEEDING VALUE OF SPANISH PEANUTS

By John C. Burns, Professor of Animal Husbandry, A. and M. College
of Texas.

There can be little doubt that one of the most profitable methods
of marketing the peanut crop is to dispose of it through livestock
raised on the farm. Peanut vine hay, which may be obtained -by mow-
ing the vines after the nuts have matured, and curing them by the
ordinary method of making hay, is in the class with alfalfa and
cowpea hay in feeding value. Its nutrients are even better propor-
tioned from the standpoint of forming a balanced ration in itself than
are those of alfalfa or cowpea hay. It forms a very satisfactory
roughage for horses, cattle and sheep. _

The seeds, or peanuts, themselves, constitute one of the richest
feeds produced on the farm. They are especially valuable as a feed
for hogs, and, being very rich in digestible fat or oil, they are used to
the best advantage during the fattening period. However, they also
contain a high percentage of digestible protein and, th-erefore, prove
very satisfactory for growing hogs, too.

In order to make an accurate determination of the feeding value
of Spanish peanuts for hogs, the Texas Experiment Station con-
ducted a test in 1908 in which six pigs averaging 43 pounds at the
start were fed exclusively on Spanish peanuts for a period of 91
days, the nuts being separated from the vines in order to ascertain
definitely the quantity fed. The results of this test show that the
amount o‘? peanuts required per 100 pounds of gain in live weight
was only 296% pounds. This remarkably good showing is further
emphasized when we consider that the averag-e results of tests at
nine different station in the United States show that 537 pounds of

17

shelled corn were required to produce 100 pounds of gain, and that
in no instance was th-e requirement for such gain less than 479
pounds.

‘Accra-cling to the above figures, an acre of Spanish peanuts of
a yield of 40 bushels, allowing 30 pounds to the bushel, would pro-
duce approximately 405 pounds of pork, which, if valued at 7 cents
a pound, would amount to $28.35. These results seem to be entirely
in accordance with those obtained Iby other Southern Experiment
Stations, that have made experiments along this line.
* In the preparation of this bulletin, due acknowledgement is made for

valuable assistance rendered by Dr J. O. Morgan, Professors J. C. Burns L.
B. Burke and A. B. Conner of the A. and M. College.

18