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Show Diversified agriculture in which livestock plays an important part is the real answer to farm relief. This opinion was expressed by a delegate to the recent United States Chamber of Commerce convention and it seems that such an expression is particularly particular-ly applicable in the western country, especially in California where many farms have been established on a specialty basis. Pacific Coast markets demand fed boef, fed lambs, and a great amount of grain fattened pork. It is, of course, true that we will always depend de-pend upon range pasture for growth of both cattle and lambs, and for the first and cheapest gains. But we must depend upon the smaller farms and ranches for production of grain fattened meats, especially during those months of the year when ranges cannot be depended upon for fattening fatten-ing stock. Livestock feeding works in to good advantage on small farms, both as a means of increasing cash revenue (for there is always a cash market for fat livestock), but also must be considered consider-ed as an important and economical means of producing fertilizer. It is m'ghty difficult to improve upon farm manure as a soil builder, and there is no better means of creating fertilizers than through the medium of dry lot feeding, which under pres- j ent market conditions, should work out profitably. Thin cattle sell at a ! greater than usual discount under fat stock, and those closely in touch with j retail conditions expect a substantial differential to continue between the thin and common cattle, and strictly-choice strictly-choice bullocks. Hog prices have shown fair stability stabil-ity during the past month, although i prices are somewhat lower than in J March. One' government authority I estimates that the national slaugh-1 ter of hogs during the remainder of j 1931 will be about one million head less than last year. While it is realiz- j ed that hog prices will depend large-! ly upon general business conditions, such an indication of smaller slaughtering slaugh-tering may well cause growers to be optimistic as to the course of the market during late summer and early fall. ! Hog growing is on the increaseln ' California, due to relatively low feed : prices which are likely to continue. Other western states, especially wheat growing sections, are picking up on hog production, but the middle western corn country reports decreased decreas-ed farrowing. j |