The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-06-10
FARM AND OTSEHOLD.
Summer Care Of Hogs.

Dairy slops, grass, fruits and vcgcta-
blcs is naturally the principal diet of
hogs in summer, and is amply sufficient,
with the worms and insects obtained on
range to sustain the growth of the ma
ture hog till the fattcning process begins
and such diet will insure the most
perfect health of the animal and pigs
during the first summer should be kept
on the same, adding only so much slop,
meal or grain as is necessary to keep
them in fair condition.
Summer is the time to make pork;
making it in Winter is much like run
ming boat against wind and tide; it
requires too much food to keep up the
supply of animal. heat If hogs have
plenty of grass in Summer, and about
half the grain they will eat, they will
fatten rapidly, and my belief is that
three pounds of pork can be made from
less grain in this way than one pound
can be in cold weather with hog in
close pen. The grass is cooling and
loosening, and counteracts the feverish
properties of the grain.
Another important consideration in
favor of such diet is cost, which is
merely nominal as compared with grain
alone. Free access to water and cool
clean shade is essential to the comfort
and consequent growth and thrift of the
pigs. The hog delights in a cool, damp
locality; and is very sensitive to heat
and cold, and suffers severely from expo
sure to either. Any unusual exercise
will be fatal to hog that is fat, on a
hot day, if he has not free access to
water.
Hogs are not apt to root when there
is plenty of grass on the ground. They
should be allowed to have all the grass
they will eat as early in the Spring as
possible, and clover or tame hay is good
for them in Winter. They are fond of
it. Hogs that have run to grass all
Summer can be shut up in pen and
fed to advantage six weeks or two
months, but no longer
A pig should never be allowed to stop
growing; in fact that rule holds good
during its entire life. A poor, NANCY
pig is of no value; close confinement in
filth and dirt will check the growth,
however generous the food; but if
starved at the same time it will be a
mercy to both pigs and owner to send
them to the manure pile.
Milk is very cooling drink, and
almost indispensable in raising young
pigs. But very little corn and no corn
meal should be fed to young pigs, before
they are four months old. The effects
of corn and raw corn meal on young
pigs are these: The pigs will first be
costive, then they will scour. They
will begin to rub against everything
they can get against, and will rub their
hair of. Their skin will have red and
dry appearance. A dry black scruf will
begin to form on them, and the more of
the corn and meal that they cat the
poorer they will get. The best thing
that can be done for pig in this con-
dition is to give him thorough wash
ing in warm rain water or sour milk
Sour milk is best. Coarse -four or mid
dlings from rye or wheat, when made
into thin drinkablc slop with milk, is
the best food for young pigs, except
bread and milk. Bread is good for very
young pigs, because it has been leav-
vcned. Food has to ferment before it
will digest, and if fed to a young pig
before fermcnted, it will overtask his
stomach and spoil him. Lettuce is good
for young pigs. 1t will stop the scours
on them. The middlings should be put
with the milk at night, after the feeding
has been DONE and allowed to be in the
milk through the night, never allowing
the swil tub to get quite empty, always
leaving a little in the bottom for yeast
The swill should never be permitted to
get stalc-AM STOCK JOURNAL.