The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-03-01
M;kk akatm.
HOW WELL.BRE D HOGS PAYS.
rom the American Stock Journal.

From. the American Stock Journal.
Since l commenced farming nothing
has done so we'll with me as hogs. !
always kept the best that could be got;
and l have generally kept carefully
checked account of the disbursements
and receipts, and found that the amount
of credit of profit and loss is much more
than in any other branch of farm stock,
especially when outlay of capital is
taken into consideration, and losses and
casual injuries are allowed for. Hogs
seem to be freer from these than almost
any class of farm stock in the United
States.
Last year one of our Berkshire sows
had ten Young ones. They were prg-
ged about the LIST of May, much later
than was advisable, but it could not be
avoided. The mother did not seem
with heat early; or if she did, she was
so fat and plegmatic that it was not OBJ
served; consequently the young ones
came, too late to reach the size we
should have desired before fall. The
stock here alluded to were not prize
hogs, but well-bred, good ones.
We sold four at two months old at
SIS each; one sow was kept for future
breeding purposes; the remaining five
were fattened and killed, making, when
slaughtered, 1850 pounds of e1cellent.
norl, The food consumed in fattening,,
after leaving the stubbles, was only 25
bushels of corn, worth about 20 cts. per
bushel. There had been previously
about 3 bushels of corn fed out amongst
these six during the summer There
was also some mash, but not much, as
there were many others to share it. In
addition to the above, there was abun-
dant supply of the best clover, Red and
Alsike, and an excellent warm house.
The account would stand thus:
Cost of keeping sow through
winter, at pint of corn daily
and some wash, 4 bushels at
20 cent 50 80
Cost of summer feeding 6 pigs,
with clover 3 bushels of corn
at 70 cents III
Cost of fattening, after stubble
feeding, 25 bushels at 70 cents II so
S22 40
1850 pounds of excellent pork -
at 6 cents $75 90
sow 8 90
Young ones sold 90 90
$lO3 90
The above can be done by any farm
er who will carefully attend to and care
for the young ones and, above all, get
irst-class Berkshire breed, with long
curly hair. 1 greatly prefer them
They are much harder, and quite as
easily kept But to do this either on a
large or small scale will require clover
patch of course sufficient for the number
of hogs kept; and in addition there
must be warm house, well supplied
with straw even in summer. Clover
forming the principal portion of food
given, necessitates warm lodging dur
ing rain storms and also at night
Nothing else will do Hogs will crowd
together even in summer in fence
corner; but give them house, and
they will sleep in it during the hottest
weather. In addition to clover, for
food, there should be about half pint
of corn meal given to each daily. The
easiest way to do this is to sow the
corn broadcast about the yard, few
quarts at time, we'll scattered, and
always soaked in water until the grains
are softened Of coarse, if it is made
into thin soup, and given twice a day
as drink, more benefit will be derived
than the cost of so preparing the food.
1 have carefully tried this, and am full
ly prepared to show that this corn soup,
with clover and warm house, will
make corn faster and cheaper than any
food that l ever tried Half a pint of
corn meal will make half bucket-full
of palatable drink-that is, if the corn
is thoroughly boiled. Half gallon of
this in the morning, and half gallon
at night, provided they have an alum
dant supply of clover, will be about
what would be required for each hog,
to keep them growing and in frst-rate
condition. When fattening time comes,
and it must come before cold weather
sets in, every bushel of corn, or better
still, every pint of thick corn soup, will
make wonderful increase.