Pig-Club results in the United States

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Part of The Philippine Craftsman

Title: Pig-Club results in the United States
extracted text: INDUSTRIAL NOTES 229 assigned to gardening. Their veg etables were the wonder of the town, and the average cost per boy for food and clothing has been materially reduced. Two boys were apprenticed to the tailor who makes the clothing for the school and they will be able to do all of the school’s tailoring. An expert rattan furniture maker was employed and all boys not in shopwork devote a part of each day to making furniture for the dor mitory. It is hoped that within a short time the school will be in a position to accept orders for chairs, for which there is a great demand in the province. The enrollment includes repre sentatives from five pagan tribes. Practically all are in the first or second academic grades. Every pupil enrolled must live in the dormitory, his food and clothing being furnished by the school. There is no regular vacation; but from time to time, at the discretion of the principal, each boy is allowed to spend a few days with his parents. Seldom does a boy fail to return to school at the appointed time. Each boy is examined regularly at the hospital and given treatment if necessary. It has been found that 33} per cent of the Mandayans and Mansacas, and 10 per cent of all others are infected with elephantia sis; 50 per cent have an enlarged spleen; and nearly all are infected with malaria. Hospital treatment under the direction of a physician is provided for all such cases. Many have skin diseases when they first come to the school, but these diseases soon disappear. With adequate equipment and en larged dormitory accommodations, the Davao Industrial School will soon begin to meet the local demand for trained blacksmiths, machinists, car penters, boat-builders, and furniture makers. While these boys are re ceiving their training, they will be putting on the market a large number of articles for which there is an almost unlimited demand. (H. C. S.) PIG-CLUB RESULTS IN THE UNITED STATES. The following account is taken from the weekly news letter of the United States Department of Agri culture : “The pig-club work has been car ried on by the Bureau of Animal Industry of this department during the past year in cooperation with the State Agricultural Colleges of Ala bama, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mas sachusetts, Nebraska, North Caro lina, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Texas. Pig clubs were organized among the farm children and proved a means of arousing further interest in live stock, and at the same time furnished profitable and instructive work to the members. “The economic objects of the pig clubs are: To teach the members how to raise better swine cheaply; to give the members a means of earning profits; and to afford the members a practical insight into the business side of farming. Indirectly, the improvement of the swine of the country and the general introduction of better and cheaper swine-raising methods are purposed. “Each pig-club member is required to keep a record of his pig-feeding work and report this at the end of the State contest. Many unusually successful records have been made. These are not typical of the work, but rather represent its possibilities. A summary and the averages of the work of many members give a better indication of the value of the pig club work. “In the 13 States named, 11,632 members were enrolled last year in the pig clubs. Not all were active members, but most of these raised 230 THE PHILIPPINE CRAFTSMAN pigs. While a great many re ported more or less completely on their work, 1,608 members from 11 States, with a membership of 11,032, reported completely on weights, values, gains in weight, costs of gains, and profits. No figures are available from California and Ore gon, except as to the number of members. “The figures following are com piled from the complete reports. Seventeen hundred eighty-three pigs were reported, or an average of 1.1 pigs per member. The majority of members took weaning pigs to feed in the spring and reported their results in the fall. The average weight per pig at the beginning of the feeding period was 39.2 pounds. At the end of the feeding period, which averaged 166J days, the pigs weighed 1941 pounds. This was an average daily gain in weight of 0.93 pound, at a cost of $0,044 per pound. This low cost of gain can be attributed, it is believed, to the better feeding methods practiced and the wide use of forage crops by the members. “The original value of the pigs averaged $5.24. The average final value was $21.43, a gain in value of $16.19. This gain in value cost $6.91, giving an average net profit per pig of $9.37 and an average net profit per member of $10.29. “These figures are a strong indi cation that improved swine, raised in the right way, are profitable even when pork values are as low as they were in 1915. The vast majority of members had carefully selected high grade and pure-bred hogs, and to this improved blood, as well as the better feeding methods, can be attributed the large difference in favor of the average final value of pig-club hogs in the fall, $21.43, as compared with the estimated average value of all hogs on farms in the United States on January 1, 1916, $8.40. The pig club members have shown their ability as a body to raise pigs suc cessfully. They have raised good pigs, cheap pigs, and profitable pigs. “Many are keeping their gilt pigs for breeding purposes. Some already have found it profitable to breed as well as to feed pigs. Fifty-six mem bers reporting on their sows and litters reported an average profit of $47.32. With the membership for this year doubled and most of the old members again on the rolls the pig work should prove of even greater economic value in the future.” It remains to be seen how the results obtained from our hog raising contests which are this year a feature of the home work in agriculture for which pupils of the public schools receive school credit, will compare with these. MONGO SPROUTS. Excellent results have been ob tained by growing mongo sprouts in a banana leaf. In the average Filipino home there is no convenient place, unless it be the floor, to keep two dishes filled with water and with towels stretched between them. The animals disturb them, and the water and mongos arc spread over the house. The mongos grow slowly and often smell bad before the sprouts are long enough to use. In using the banana leaf, the*’ mongos are soaked over night. In the morning they are wrapped closely in a banana leaf. The leaf wrap ping may be four or five inches thick, but it must have no cracks and must be wrapped around the mongos so the moist air within cannot escape. The mongos are kept moist and warm in this way and will be ready to plant in 48 hours. The banana leaf must be removed before the mongo is planted. This is much quicker than the towel method and better results are obtained, as the mongos are better
Date: 1916
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