Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1874-12-11
Of Raising Improved
Swine.

Advantages Of Raising Improved
Mr.. A. McGowen, of Brandon, Bu-
chanan county, is breeder of the
Poland-C hogs, and 4 careful and
reliable man. He had very good
show of hogs at the Buchanan Coun-
ty Fair, at Independence, in Septem-
Der. DR.. McG.'s favoritc hog is the
Poland China, and in writing about
them, he gives the following good
ideas equally applicable to the raising
of any good thoroughbred hogs:
"No farmer can expect to make
stock raising profitable for any length
of time, and continue to breed from
the common scrub Of the country; if
he does he will be left far behind.
Especially is this true in breeding
and raising swine, for there is no ami
NAL that deterioratcs as rapidly as the
hog, unless care and Judgment is ex-
ercised in breeding. Our first step
should be to secure pure bred male;
the purer the blood the greater their
power to transmit their qualities to
their progeny. 1t is generally con-
ceded that like produces like in breed
ing animals, but this will apply with
more certainty to pure bred animals
than it will to those of more recent
origin and mixed breeds.
We should be careful from whom
we purchase, as every hog that is
spotted is not a well-bred Poland
China, and there are unprincipled
men who sell grades for pure bloods,
and those who purchase them are
disappointed, thereby bringing dis
credit on the breed. Breeders of
pure bred hogs suffer more from this
sourse than from any other. We
have it from a trustworthy source
that parties in Illinois have shipped
pigs as pure bloods, and not akin,
when the facts were they were the
common scrub stock of the country,
and nearly related. A pure bred pig,
if purchased at s or 10 weeks old,
can be had for from $l5 to 500 This
may seem eXtravagant to some, but
really money cannot be invested in
anything that will pay a greater per
cent. on farm.
We should select the largest, thrift
lest, and best formed sows of our
common stock to cross with; we then
get half bloods, which do very well
for feeding purposes. Now instead
of keeping one Of those half bloods
for boar, castrate them at 6 or 8
weeks old, for by breeding from them
the work of deterioration commences
and we soon lose what we have
already obtained. Then select the
largest and thriftiest of those half
blood sows for breeders, and purchase
another boar Of no kin to the first.
Your first one can either be castrated
or sold to other parties; in either
case he will bring nearly if not quite
his original cost. We may thus work
into the improved breeds at Il very
small outlay, that will add 100 per
cent. to our sales in the fall. Let us
figure little. Suppose we feed %
pigs Of the common scrub stock 20
bushels of corn each, they eat 500
bushels of corn, and weigh 5000 lbs;
if good prime hogs sell for So so per
cwt. we cannot get more than $500
which amounts to 800 for our pigs,
or Is cents a bushel for our corn.
Now if we bad Poland-C China or their
cross we could have made from II to
Is Tbs to the bushel, but we will say
10 to be safe; we have 5000 lbs of
prime hogs, which at $3.50 per cwt.
makes sl65, nearly double. Corn
thus fed brings 35 cents per bushel,
showing q balance in favor of the
improved breeds of sS5.
Our next step should be to adopt
better system of feeding and treat
ment. A little attention on these
points makes great difference in
profit or loss. It'll the worst possible
policy for farmer to put large
number Of pigs in pen or small
yard where they will suffer from the
cold, mud, or scorching sun, and
throw little corn in the mud or
sand, and pour pail of water in a
trough half filled with dirt. Such
treatment is ruinous to the pig as
well as to the pocket of the feeder.
The great secret of profitable pork
making is: 1st, secure good breed;
I'd, keep the pigs growing until they
are fit to kill. In order to do this
they should be provided with com
Portable quarters; they require cool,
dry and clean quarters in the sum
mer, and warm, comfortable quarters
in the winter. We should commence
feeding them when they are IS to 20
days old, providing separate trough
where the sow cannot get at it, and
they will soon learn to drink milk.
Then provide them with abundance
of shelled corn, soaked; there is
nothing better that can be provided
as cheap as this, and it is astonishing
what an amount of it they will eat
before weaving. We should now re-
ueInDcf JlldG Lncre is no ulmC during
the life of pig when it pays to keep
them on short allowance, except
breeders. We cannot expect a pig
to grow rapidly, and mature early,
without the requisite food, no more
than we expect Il stove to throw out
heat without the requisite fuel.
AS has been stated, it requires a
certain amount Of food to sustain
life, and the profit comes in by feed
ing in excess of this; if by good
care and liberal feeding we can hurry
up the growth and process of fatten-
ing to that extent that pig will
weigh $50 lbs at ten months old, we
save 30 to 40 per cent Of food to
what we would if we fed twice that
time to attain the same weight, from
the fact the pig will not consume
more than 60 to 70 per cent. us much
in 10 months by liberal feeding, as
he will in 20 months by poor feeding.
1t is certainly poor economy to try to
economic by the poor treatment and
half feeding system, when there is
no domestic animal kept on a farm