The costs of production that enter into the making of marketable hogs centre around these import items: Feed, such as the grains; pas ture; equipment covering houses, troughs, fences and other details; man labor; horse labor; interest on the capital invested, and gen eral miscellaneous or overhead expense. To give a comprehensive idea as to the distribution of these costs in the heart of the swine fattening and producing region, namely the corn belt, there is presented herewith the dis tribution of the total cost, or 100 per cent among the menticmed items: The Swine Commission of the United States Food Administration in the year 1917 found that it took the equivalent value of 12 bushels good number two corn grain to produce for market the average hundred pounds of market able hog, delivered to the Chicago, the basic and general controlling hog market of all the world. This counts the costs of all items en tering into the keep of the herd. Definitely, therefore, this means that if number two corn grain is worth a dollar a bushel at Chicago that the farmer who ships to that market will not on the average make any money unless he gets over $12 a hundred pounds for the live hogs. The good farmer will of course produce them more cheaply, but when the costs can be put down to the 11-bushel basis that is very good indeed. Of course the man who feeds garbage, the kitchen waste from the cities and towns, can produce hogs more cheaply than the man who feeds high-priced grains. It takes from six to nine pounds of garbage to pro duce as much pork as a pound of mixed bal anced grains.
The best forage crops and pastures for swine are alfalfa, red clover, dwarf essex rape, blue grass, rye, wheat, soy beans, cow peas, and sweet clover. All of the clovers are especially good.
The best grains are Indian corn, barley, rye, wheat, sorghum seed, kaffir corn, milo maize, oats, peanuts, soy beans, cow peas, and other of similar nature.
The best balancers of the ordinary grains are the milks, meat meal, packing. house tgnk age, linseed oil meal, wheat middlings, corn oil cake meal, blood meal, peanut meal, velvet bean meal, gluten feed, together with the green, preferably leguminous and tender pastures.
To secure the greatest success in the feeding and management and marketing of swine, one must look to these essentials: First. Locate the business where the condi tions are favorable to pork production, this usually being where there is an abundance of cheap grains and other feeds suitable for swine. and where the markets are relatively good and easily accessible. Go to those sections where hogs are making their owners money.
Second. Select good, sound, healthy, prolific foundation stocic of the right market as well as the right farm type.
Third. Have an ideal and work toward it in your feeding and breeding operations. Fourth. Feed a properly balanced ration, one that will supply the essential 'nutrients at the right time.
Fifth. House the animals in sanitary, well lighted, comfortable convenient quarters.
Sixth. Keep the animals healthy by sensible methods, use preventive measures to avoid cholera, the scourge of swine husbandry, this being done by immunization, using the anti hog cholera serum perfected by the govern ment, and purchaseable most everywhere.
Seventh. Be a good manager, keeping everything and everybody 'lined* up so that the whole scheme harmoniously work to a com mon ideal of doing the right thing, in the right way, at the right time. There are many corners to watch, as in all good businesses, hence the vigilant watchful spirit is to be as siduously cultivated.
Eighth. To be most successful in the swine business one must like it, put his heart into it, yes, and live with it.
Joxii M. EVARD, Professor of Animal Husbandry, Iowa State College.