BY means of the boys’ pig clubs thousands of boys are being interested and instructed in hog raising, to their pleasure and profit and to the benefit of the community and the country. The influence of such work toward more successful stock farming, good citizenship, and replenishing the nation’s larder can not yet be measured.

The first boys’ pig club was organized in Caddo Parish, LA., in the fall of 1910 with a membership of 59 boys. The organization was directly due to Mr. E. W. Jones, who was superintendent, of the rural schools of the county. The pig-club work was outlined somewhat similarly to the corn-club work and was distinctly an outgrowth of it. It was an economic necessity among some of the corn-club members, as it gave them an opportunity of marketing some of their corn through a pig and further encouraged the diversification of crops which was being urged upon the boys as well upon the farmers.

The work spread rapidly in Louisiana, under the direction of the college officials. In 1912 it was taken up in cooperation with the Bureau of Animal Industry, since which time it has been conducted cooperatively by the bureau and the State agricultural colleges.

The objects of the pig-club work were to interest the boys in swine production, to teach them improved methods of raising and fattening hogs, the value of forage crops, sanitation, good management in handling swine, methods of home curing of meats, and, by means of the pig-club work, to give the boy a broader and better view of farm life, thus making of him a better future citizen.

The pig-club work done by the department is carried on in cooperation with the State agricultural colleges, each of these forces contributing toward the expense. An agent, who is thoroughly acquainted with the practical side of swine raising and has had the benefits of animal husbandry training in an agricultural college, is placed in a State to work under the supervision of the director of extension or his representative in the organization of these clubs. The county is the unit used in organizing the clubs, and where there is a county agent he is usually responsible for the organization and proper conduct of the club work in the county. In counties having no agent or agricultural adviser, some teacher, banker, or other influential person is usually selected as a county leader. The State pig-club agent frequently visits the county leader to advise with him, and together they visit as many of the club members as possible.  Personal contact with club members is essential if greatest good is to be accomplished, but as the time of the State pig- club agent is limited, it devolves upon the county leader to make most of the personal visits to the club members.

The State pig-club agent attends public meetings, teachers’ institutes, picnics, etc., at which he may use lantern slides, charts, or the pig-club motion-picture film in explaining the manner of organizing the clubs, conducting the club work, and raising hogs under improved conditions. Pig clubs may be organized in several communities in a county, and all of these make up the county association.

The members are required to secure a pig, and feed and care for it according to instructions, keeping complete records of the amount of feed consumed, the gains in weight, cost of the gain per pound, breeding records, etc. At the end of the year the members are required to send reports to the State pig-club agent. Wherever possible the club members must show their pig at the county fair or special exhibition, and the winnefs at the county fairs usually are required to show their pigs at the State fair.

The cooperation of the school-teachers, bankers, merchants, and other people who can aid in the work is solicited, and the success usually is in proportion to the amount of cooperation received from such people. Teachers often choose pig-club work as a means of getting in closer touch with the pupils and parents, and often are rewarded amply by the increased interest with which school patrons view such activities. The same can often be said of the county agent or adviser. One such county agent in North Carolina stated he had failed to obtain the interest and support which he felt should have been accorded him and could not get the desired response from the people of his county until he started the pig-club work. He further stated that this work did more to put him in close touch with the rural and town people than any other one agency.

The pig-club work means much more than raising a few hogs, a making some money, and winning a few prizes. The educational feature is largely responsible for the position which it occupies with the boys, the community, or in the State. As an illustration, a county school superintendent of Texas voluntarily writes the following statements:

   From four years’ records I find the pupils belonging to the various have made an average grade on all subjects, except spelling and composition, of 11 per cent more than the children not doing club work.  The club members made a general average of 16 per cent more on spelling and 23 per cent more on composition than the other boys and girls.
   The club pupils have been active and inspired to do better work, and by this have created and sustained a desire to make researches for new things. Very few club boys and girls in the rural schools of this county stop school, and when they do so it is not of their own choice.  There are more than 4,000 boys and girls in the rural schools of this county, and of the number of suspensions and expulsions not one has been a member of the clubs.
   Of the club children there is better attendance at Sunday school by 7 percent and of church services by 5 per cent than among the other children.
We offered a prize on sanitary conditions, and the contest was a heated one, but in every instance the schools doing club work were in lead and the prize was won by a school conducting club work and social center movement.

In addition, the work of the pig club has interested many a boy in study who either disliked school work or was a laggard in his classes. This is well illustrated in North Carolina by two boys who were somewhat dull and who disliked study and books in general, with the result that they always stood near the foot of the class, despite the efforts of teacher and parents. Both boys joined the pig club, secured pigs, and started the work, but were told that to carry on the work they must read all instructions furnished either in the bulletins, circular letters, or personal letters, and must keep accurate records of all their operations. Each became interested in the growth of their pigs to such an extent that he read everything sent to him and finally began reading and studying other matter, with the result that these boys were among the best pupils at the close of the school year.

In Nebraska club work plays an important part in the agricultural education of the pupils in the rural schools.  All of the children who belong to a club and carry out one definite project, as the canning-club or pig-club work, are excused from the written examinations in agriculture.

In Washington State one finished club-project is permitted to count 50 per cent of the agriculture or home economics grade, and both the project and the class work are judged accordingly.

Another feature of the boys’ work is its educational value to the parents. Many parents reluctantly have permitted their children to join a club; nevertheless, they have finally admitted that they received as much or more good from the work than their boy did. Many farmers have changed absolutely their methods of handling hogs since seeing the result of the son’s work with one or more pigs. It has also induced many farmers to purchase for the first time some registered live stock.

The pig-club work is divided into two main sections—that of fattening a meat hog for home consumption or market and that of raising a litter of pigs. The hog-fattening work may end with the sale of the animal or it may be carried further and embrace the ham and bacon club idea, which deals exclusively with methods of slaughtering and home-curing the meat. In such a case a ham and a piece of bacon cured under instructions furnished must be shown at the county fair or exhibition the following year.

It is advisable for members who have had no experience in handling live stock to purchase a grade pig, raise and fatten it for market or slaughter according to instructions, and the following year with the money obtained to secure a grade or purebred gilt and take up hog breeding. This enables a boy to get his first experience with a cheap grade hog, and he enters the breeding work with one year’s experience in caring for a hog. This invariably results in the raising of a good hog or a litter of pigs.

If a boy has money with which he can buy a pig, or if he can obtain work to earn money for such a purpose, it is always advisable to secure a pig in this manner. There are many worthy boys, however, who can not get money to buy a pig, but who can raise most of the feed for such a pig and can earn enough money to purchase the feed that must be bought. To aid such deserving boys several plans have been tried. At first some bankers thought it would be well to give pigs to some boys, but this is undesirable for several reasons; first, it is not good business policy; second, the pig will not be appreciated as much nor cared for as Well as if he is bought; third, many other boys would hesitate about purchasing a pig, thinking that if they waited a pig might given to them. This plan has been discouraged and others be offered in its place.

In a number of counties in various States, banks, business firms, chambers of commerce, or individuals have set aside sums of money which can be loaned to reliable pig-club members who are first approved by the county agent or other responsible person, and who agree to follow all instructions of the pig-club agent, give a note for the pig payable at some future time at a small rate of interest, and agree to submit a final report of the year’s work to the party lending the money, as well as to the pig-club agent. Many thousand dollars have been set aside for this purpose, and the money is being used most beneficially. On the note given by the boy is usually a statement signed by the parent to the effect that the parent gives his consent to this arrangement and will not claim any proceeds from the sale of the pig or its progeny. The matter is then handled in a purely business way, giving the boy a lesson in business transactions. Few banks require the parent to sign the note, making him responsible for the boy’s debt.  The boy is put upon his honor, and very seldom indeed does he betrav the trust or confidence placed in him.

The best plan that has been tried is the “endless chain method,” whereby the money which is made available for lending to pig-club members is used to purchase a number of good young registered gilts from reliable breeders. These gilts are lent to the boys recommended by the county agent or by a special committee for that purpose, with the distinct understanding that they are to be raised according to instructions furnished By the pig-club agent or county agent, and are to be bred to a registered boar of the same breed. When the litter is weaned, two choice gilts are to be returned to the man furnishing the sow, after which the sow and the remainder of the litter become the property of the pig-club boy. The two gilts are in turn lent to two other pig-club boys, and in this way the number of pigs is constantly increasing.

A form of agreement is used for making the contract with the boys. If the boy fails to fulfill any part of his contract the hog reverts to the original owner. The risk is sometimes borne entirely by the party furnishing the pig, while in other cases the contract states that if the sow dies another shall be furnished to the boy, and he shall be required to return either three or four gilt pigs from the first litter secured.

There are many advantages of this method of financing pig-club boys. A club can be started without a great outlay of cash, and it will grow automatically. A member does not have to borrow money to begin with, which is sometimes objectionable to the parents, for if the boy’s pig should die he must obtain money to pay his note, whereas by the chain method he can have another trial. Community breeding can always be started in this manner, only one breed of pigs being furnished to the boys. An extra good boar is often provided, to which the gilts can be bred at a reasonable fee, which is seldom the case where community breeding is not conducted.

Many breeders have adopted this plan of providing breeding stock for club members, as it is usually a profitable transaction for them, and at the same time helps them in a business way. One chamber of commerce in Georgia has set aside money for the purchase of 50 gilts, and this number will increase automatically until good hogs will be found throughout the entire county. The plan also is being successfully carried out in Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Indiana. Further particulars can be obtained om the Bureau of Animal Industry.

The giving of large cash prizes is discouraged, as it has been found better to give a large number of small and useful prizes. In this way more interest is taken because more boys can win a prize. In Louisiana and Georgia the county pig-club winner usually is given a free trip to the short course at the agricultural college. All prizes, ribbons, awards, etc., are furnished by people or enterprises other than the Department of Agriculture. A national pig-club emblem has been designed for use by the pig-club members in the various States (see Pl. XIX, fig. 1). In most States a pin is awarded to each member completing his work and submitting a record of it.

SOME RESULTS OF THE PIG-CLUB WORK.

Up to July 1, 1915, the pig-club work was being conducted jointly by the department and the agricultural colleges of Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana, and Nebraska. During the fall of 1915 it was taken up in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, California, and Oregon. The work will be extended to other States as fast as funds permit During 1915 there were over 10,000 club members in the States named, of whom 5,827 were in Louisiana, Alabama, and Georgia, where the work has been in progress two years or longer.

Some trouble has been experienced in getting the members to keep complete records throughout the year. Inducements have been offered to members sending in complete reports, such as a year’s subscription to one of the good swine papers, a free ticket to the State fair, or seed sufficient to plant a pasture and a small area in some forage crops for the pig; but while these have helped to some extent, the percentage of members sending in reports is smaller than it should be.  It is hoped that the percentage will increase as the organization is improved from year to year.

The report in 1914 of the members in Alabama showed that the average number of pigs per member in the spring was 1.35 and the average weight was 34 pounds. In the fall the average number of pigs per member was 1.92 and the average weight was 126 pounds. The increase in the number of pigs per member was due to many sows farrowing a litter during the summer, and these young pigs in turn lowered the average weight of the pigs in the fall.  The average daily gain per pig was 0.72 pound, made at a cost of $5.20 per 100 pounds. Of all the pigs raised by the pig-club boys in the various States in 1914, the average cost for each 100 pounds gain in live weight varied between $4.25 and $5.20. During that time the price of hogs ranged from $7 to $9 per 100 pounds, showing a good profit from the standpoint of the market hog alone.

In Louisiana, Alabama, and Georgia the average valuation of all members’ pigs in the spring was $9.01, $5.50, and $11.26 per head, respectively, while the average valuation in December was $22.26, $17.14, and $43.60. The low valuations of the hogs in Alabama was due to the facts that about 80 per cent of them were meat hogs and that there were 21 litters of pigs included in the December valuation, which lowered the average. The valuation in December of the original pigs which started in the spring, along with their increase, was $27.28 per head. The high prices in Georgia were due to the fact that almost all of the pigs were registered. The average valuation of the Louisiana club members’ hogs was $22.26, while the average valuation of the hogs of the State was $7.70.

For years the community breeding of live stock has been urged upon farmers, but with very little success. Although its value and advantages have been preached to them repeatedly, it has been difficult indeed to get a large number of men to all agree to raise only one breed of stock.

The advantages of community breeding have been emphasized to the boys, and strenuous efforts made to have it started, with the result that in many counties one breed of hogs has been adopted as the standard of the county, and that breed is being raised almost exclusively. In Faulkner County, Ark., where the purchase of pigs was financed by banks for 75 boys, 97 per cent of them had registered hogs of one breed, while in Sebastian County, Ark., 90 per cent of the 91 boys had registered hogs of another breed. There are several parishes in Louisiana and several counties in Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina where the boys of a county are specializing in one breed. In such counties the best and most successful pig-club work is being done, because the boys raising pure-bred hogs almost exclusively can obtain breeding stock at home for less money, can secure better breeding stock because they have a greater number from which to select, and can sell many more hogs for breeding purposes, as each of those counties is becoming recognized as a breeding center for a certain breed of hog, and with such a reputation come increased orders for breeding stock. This is one of the great achievements of the pig-club work, and a success is being made by the boys where their fathers have failed. This emphasizes to the boys the advantages of cooperation, and after the one experience, as boys, it will doubtless be much easier to get cooperation among the members after they become men than it has been with the grown folks of the present day.

In many counties the four-club idea is being advanced among the young folk, and this usually embraces the pig club. In all States the boys are encouraged to plant some forage crops for their pigs and furnish them permanent pasture. If the boy can plant three or four kinds of forage on small areas the results are better and he learns much about the growing of such crops. This emphasizes the diversification idea to the boy, and he learns one of the lessons of good farming that often has been difficult for mature farmers.

The pig-club exhibits at the county fairs and the State fairs have been very valuable to the members from an educational standpoint. While the pig club was organized primarily for the benefit of the boys, the girls have not been excluded; good pig raisers some of them are, too, and it is not uncommon to see the prize awarded to a girl. This has been done repeatedly at the county fairs; Alice McCoy captured the prize at the Louisiana State Fair in 1914. In all three of the State fairs in North Carolina in 1915 a Tamworth pig belonging to Rachel Spees was the sweepstakes champion in the pig-club classes and won first prize in the open classes at every fair. In 1915, at the Georgia-Florida Fair, held at Valdosta, Ga., the pig-judging contest was won by a girl who was a pig-club member. When the small number of girl members is considered it is a question if they have not made as good or a somewhat better record than the boys. Often a girl will care for her pig better and more regularly and submit a better report than her boy competitor.

Previous to fair time lectures usually are given the members on fitting pigs for show. They are instructed how best to feed them during the last few weeks previous to showing, how to enter their pigs at the fair, how to trim their pigs’ toes, trim out their ears, and scrub, brush, and oil them preparatory to entering the ring, and how to handle the pigs in the show ring. The members get experience at the county fairs and as a result usually have a very high-class exhibit at the State fairs.

Judging contests often are held for the members at the county and State fairs, and suitable prizes are given the winners. The boys who are showing pigs of their own soon become proficient in determining why their pigs win or lose in a contest. They learn much more quickly than the boy who neither owns nor shows a pig, because there is more at stake and the incentive to learn is greater.

In 1914 there were 185 hogs exhibited by pig-club members at the Louisiana State Fair. These hogs were judged and awarded prizes in the boys’ pig-club classes, and those boys who conformed to the rules of the fair association were permitted to show their pigs in the open classes against the breeders’ hogs from various States. Several prizes were won by the boys’ pigs in such competition. After the fair some of the breeders asked the fair association to bar the boys from showing their pigs in the open classes during the following year. This request was immediately declined by the fair association. The fact that such a request was made was one of the greatest compliments that could be paid to pig-club work.

The largest exhibit of pig-club pigs ever made was at the Louisiana State Fair in 1915. There were 205 pigs shown by the members, and good ones they were, too. The competition was closer than ever before, as practically all of them were registered hogs, and they were in prime condition, showing that much care had been taken in fitting them for the fair.  One of the outstanding features of the show was a Duroc sow and a litter of 9 pigs farrowed March 31, which were shown by John Robert Reid. The sow and every pig were good ones. In the pig-club classes he won the following prizes on his exhibit:

It is possible that the boy has overvalued the gilts on hand at the present time, but if they were worth but half of the price named, it remains that he has made a phenomenal record. Such a record is rare, it is true, and perhaps does not illustrate the real value of the pig-club work; but it serves as an example of what can be accomplished. The real measure of success may be more nearly approached by stating that each year at the State fairs there are many pigs raised by the club members that change owners at prices varying from $30 to $75 a head.

At the 1915 Kentucky State Fair 18 boys showed their pigs. Gordon Nelson, jr., with his Poland China sow, won, in the pig-club classes, first for Poland China sow over 6 and under 12 months, and first on best sow in the exhibit, and won first in the open class. The sow also won first on the largest and most economical gains, having gained 192 pounds in 120 days. The barrows shown by the boys at the same fair sold for 25 cents a hundred pounds above the top of the Louisville market for that day.

At the Oklahoma State Fair there was one pig shown from each of 27 counties. This show was for market or fat hogs only. The pigs averaged 344 pounds at 10 months of age, and sold for 35 cents a hundred pounds above the top of the Oklahoma City market that day. They were bought by the two large packing houses located at that place. The buyers for these companies in judging the hogs declared that 11 of the 27 were of the perfect market type and but one hog of the entire lot scored below 90. Of the 27 hogs, 24 were barrows and were slaughtered, dressing out 84 per cent unchilled carcasses. The three sows were retained for breeding purposes, one of them afterwards being sold for $80.

The contest in Oklahoma was limited to one pig from each county, otherwise there would have been a much larger exhibit. This restriction will be removed in the future. The champion barrow of the show was a Duroc, 11 months old, weighing 440 pounds. He had the run of an alfalfa field for the first 116 days, and was then put in the dry lot and fed heavily for 4 months. At the show his total cost, including original cost, feeds charged at market prices, labor, etc., was $26.40, or 6 cents a pound. As he sold for 8 cents a pound, he made a net profit of $8.80, besides the prizes won.  A litter mate of this pig was raised by a brother and ran a close race, weighing but 20 pounds less at the fair. The average cost of gains made by all the hogs was 5.7 cents a pound, which is very good when the fact is considered that this was a fat-hog contest and but little pasture or forage crops were used.

In North Carolina there are three State fairs, and at each of them was an exhibit of club members’ hogs. These attracted a great deal of attention, as this was the first year such exhibits had been made at the fairs. The outstanding feature of the three fairs was a Tamworth gilt shown by a girl member of the pig clubs. This gilt was good enough to be the sweepstakes winner over all breeds in the pig-club classes at all fairs, and first in the open class at each of the three fairs. She will be kept for breeding purposes.

In Massachusetts, Indiana, and Nebraska pig-club contests were held in 1915 for the first time and met with good success. In the other Northern States previously mentioned the work has not been in progress long enough to have a contest, but excellent work is promised for the next-year.

In Georgia the ham and bacon club is a feature of the pig- club work where market hogs are raised. The members are instructed in the slaughter and home curing of meats, and accurate records are kept on the meat cured from each hog slaughtered. This work has interested the farmers to such an extent that many of them are slaughtering and curing their meat according to the instructions furnished to the pig-club members. Several of them have been induced to build a simple and cheap meat-curing house after plans furnished by the department, and to keep a record of the meat cured.  Such a house costs about $100 and can be used in curing 20,000 pounds or more of meat at a very small cost and without any loss, if instructions are followed. The greatest drawback to producing meat for home consumption in the extreme south is the difficulty of getting the carcasses thoroughly cooled after slaughtering and the heavy losses often resulting from a sudden rise in the temperature. The use of such a meat-curing house as mentioned, or of the chilling rooms furnished at some of the ice-manufacturing plants in the South, completely eliminates such danger. In 11 counties in Georgia where systematic pig-club work was conducted, and the home curing of meats especially urged upon the farmers, there were 11,000,000 pounds of meat cured during the winter of 1914-15, and this meat was produced and cured at a good profit.

Many of the pig-club members of former years are beginning a career as swine breeders, and a large percentage of the swine breeders of the future will doubtless come from the pig-club ranks. Two brothers in Louisiana who were successful pig-club members have engaged in the business of swine breeding and are distributing an attractive business card giving information about their herd.

A number of the pig-club boys of 1910 to 1913 have entered agricultural colleges, and many of them are paying part of their expenses with money earned while members of the club. One of the most encouraging facts revealed in pig-club work is that a large percentage of the boys join the clubs year after year and remain members until they enter college or it is necessary for them to quit for other reasons. An improvement in the pigs they show is seen each year, bearing out the idea that the club work is increasingly instructive year after year. Many times these older boys are made community leaders in the clubs. They are selected also for accompanying the cars of pigs to the State fairs, and have proved efficient in such responsible duties.

Little Jack Starr, of Midland, Tex., wanted to join the pig club, and purchased a pure-bred pig, the runt of the litter. The pig was 10 weeks old and weighed 29 pounds.  When Jack tried to join the club he learned that as he was only 6 years old he was too young to be a member. Not discouraged, however, he fed his pig, according to instructions furnished, a properly balanced grain ration and let her graze Johnson grass, weeds, and volunteer oats for green feed. The few lice on her were quickly removed with an application of grease and kerosene thoroughly mixed, and they were kept off. A mineral mixture of charcoal, wood ashes, salt, and copperas was always kept before her. When the fair took place the pig, not quite 11 months old, weighed 450 pounds. Not being eligible to the pig club on account of his age, Jack entered her in five other classes, getting five blue ribbons and $25 in cash. With the money the pig won he purchased clothes, presents for his brothers and sister, and started a bank account. In November, 1915, nine pigs farrowed by Jack’s Perfection. Five have already sold for future delivery at $12.50 each, and Jack is telling everyone he intends to be a stock farmer. Plate XX, figure 1, shows Jack with his pig.

The devotion of the boys to their pigs is shown by the act one little boy, who, when his pig was awarded the prize, immediately broke into the ring and, oblivious of the crowd, hugged and kissed his pig; and by the letters from others whose pigs have died.

All of the pig-club work is not like a bed of roses, however; there are some thorns. Hog cholera causes a few losses; a train killed one pig, lightning another, and so on. Some of the letters are pathetic. One of the boys wrote: “You can mark out my name. I can’t join the pig club. I ain’t got no money to start with and no feed and no pig. I am in a bad fix for starting and I will have to give it up.” A girl member writes: “I was interested in the pig-club work when I joined and was intending to do my very best, but I am mighty sorry that I will have to give it all up.  My mother has gone to rest and left seven little children—the youngest 2 years—and they are all in my charge. You may know what a handful I have.”

So letters come in to the pig-club agents, hundreds and thousands of them, some telling of the hopes of the future, some bubbling over with pride-of achievements just attained either by the writer or the pig, and sometimes others written with many tears explaining that the pig—the one pig of pigs—had died and the writer was heartbroken and could not finish the report. Thus the pig-club agent is made the not confidential friend to whom success or failure may be told, feeling that from him there will come consolation and, best of all, inspiration and encouragement for future efforts.  The agent is a man with a big family, and to the pig-club members is the one person who knows just about all that can be known about swine; is adviser, teacher, confidant, judge and jury of all that is good and bad in the boy's pig-club work.

1. It gives the boy something to do at home that furnishes him pleasure, is of educational and financial benefit, and keeps him occupied at times when he might be in mischief or loitering in undesirable places.
2. It develops the love of animals which is inherent in all boys, and impresses upon them the necessity of regularity in habits and prompt attention to details in the feeding and handling of live stock. Promptness and regularity in these matters will tend toward the same in other things.
3. He learns valuable lessons in the feeding and breeding of animals, sanitation, the home curing of meats, and the business side of farm life. From these boys will develop many of the swine breeders of the future.
4. He becomes thoroughly acquainted with some of the work of the Federal Department of Agriculture and the State agricultural college.
5. From the work he learns how he can find information which he wants through the Federal or State bulletins, various textbooks, and agricultural journals, thus giving him a broad foundation for future study.
6. It often stimulates a desire to attend the agricultural college or to make a closer study of farming operations.
7. It aids the boy in an educational manner, especially in English, spelling, composition, and report writing.
8. It enables the boy to make some money, which is usually investéd in more stock, or goes toward getting a more liberal education.
9. It is one of the principal means of interesting the boys and girls in farm life, with the result of developing better farmers, better homes and home living, and establishing a better rural citizenship.