The Hog Hedge: A Palouse Farmer's Strategy Against Low Wheat Prices

Each year that wheat is at a low price, the idea of diversified farming is brought before the farmer by the newspapers, showing him how rich he would become if he followed the ideas of someone who knows nothing about farming, says the Palouse Republic. We believe, however, that diversified farming to some extent is what this country needs at the present time, and that each farmer should have on his ranch a few hogs, sheep, and chickens. The following is an instance of what would be gained in a season like the present by having some stock for sale: This week, A. Morse of Seattle was in Palouse and the surrounding country trying to buy a carload of hogs for a firm in his city. He was paying 4 cents per pound for porkers on the hoof. He bought 17-month-old hogs from W. Walheter, paying him $164 for the 17. Mr. Walheter tells us he had 400 bushels of wheat. He fed his two brood sows, his 17 pigs, and his chickens out of that wheat and still has 200 bushels left. The $164 received for the pigs gives him more than 75 cents per bushel for his 200 bushels of wheat. Mr. Morse was unable to get a carload at this place, as the majority of the farmers had no hogs for sale. As a consequence, the average farmer in the Palouse country feels the lack of ready cash when wheat is low.