The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1877-04-21
M'he Earm+
TREATMENT OF SONS AND PIGS.

Before farrowing, the main point is exer-
else aud fresh air. You want the SOW to
have sharp appetite and vigorous health.
Judicious starving is sometimes advisable,
mistake in the feeding and management
The rule is, moderate and regular feeding
and an Unlimited supply of fresh water,
fresh air and exercise. Starving weakens
the appetite; moderate feeding and exercise
sharpen the appetite and strengthen diges-
ton. like to see SOW, when shut up to
farrow, able to drink a pailful of Stops
twice day, and look as though she wanted
more. If you should, by any mischance,
give her more than she will eat up clean,
remove it at once.
After narrowing, the food should be warm
and sloppy. There is nothing better than
oat or corn meal Cruel, thoroughly cooked,
with a little bit of fat or meat to flavor it.
There should also be mixed with it bran
enough to keep the bowels open; the pro-
portion will depend on circumstances.
have one SOW in my herd that is such "a
good mixer that she will stand the richest
food we can prepare for her. But for the
average SOW | would, for the first week
after narrowing, give three quarts of bran
to one quart of corn OF oat- meal; for the
next week, two quarts of bran to one of
meal, and the third week equal parts of
bran and meal.
"How much water" asked the Deacon,
and how much food per day ~
l would mix one pound of the bran and
meal with four quarts of water, and cook
thoroughly. This would give you food
containing about as much water as fresh
grass. OF this food the SOW might have all
she will drink. | have known my sows
when sucking their pigs to drink, for the
first six days, forty quarts each day; per-
haps thirty quarts per day is about the
average. If you have "a little milk to give
much the better.
Your object is to feed so as to enable the
sow to give as much milk as possible. If
the SOW is inclined to fatten | should make
the food still more sloppy, say five quarts
of water to mixture of meal and bran.
The milk of such sows is apt to be SO rich
that the little pigs cannot digest it; it
comes through them nearly of the color of
milk. Diarrhna is sure to follow. and this
is serious injury. Warm and excessively
sloppy food for the SOW is the best proven
tive know Of
The pens should be we'll ventilated and
kept as clean as possible. | have usually
chopped the straw for bedding by running
it through feed cutter. 1t will absorb
more liquid than long straw, and there is
perhaps, less danger of the sow lying on
the little pigs. But when the pigs are
three or four days old there is comparatively
little danger of the sow crushing them, and
| app ;--Lnned to think that the long straw
is better as the pigs can cover themselves
up in it. | need hardly say that barley
straw should not be used, as the heads irr-
tate the skin of the little pigs and will be
likely to get into their eyes and cause some
trouble
When the pigs are two or three weeks
old we usually feed them little cooked
meal and milk in small trough. There
are two ways of doing this. The SOW may
be let out of the pen for an hour or so, and
then when the pigs are hungry feed them
before letting in the SOW. Another plan is
to enclose or cover up the pen, and have
some vertical Stats wide enough apart to
allow the little pigs to go through into the
enclosure, when they can be fed separated
from the SOW.
find that it is quite as easy to teach
little pigs to drink milk when they are two
or three days old as it is when they are two
or three weeks old, and it is best to do so,
even though you do not want to feed them.
1t may tax your patience and ingenuity to
teach little pig to drink, but it can be
done. A few tablespoonfuls of new, warm
milk three or four times a day is all that
you will get them to drink at first
Of course if you have plenty of skim
milk, there is nothing SO good for pigs.
But if, as is my own case, you have few
cows and many pigs, you can make little
milk go great way by feeding it judi.
ciously.
When pigs get to be month old, and
from that to four months old, it is quite an
object to make them eat as much as they
can digest. AS a rule, well bred pigs are
capable of digesting and assimilating more
food than they are disposed to eat; you
want to stimulate the appetite. There are
many ways of doing this, such as little
out door exercise, especially on warm days;
clean, well-ventilated pens; clean troughs.
and then by feeding first the food they like
least.
In other words, give young pigs, say
some cooked oat or corn meal pudding,
containing about seventy per cent of water.
Give just what they will eat up clean
Then give them some more of the cooked
meal mixed with little skinned milk.
In this way you can make little milk 90
long way. l keep sixty breeding sows
and only ten cows, and by adopting the
plan alluded to above we have milk enough
to go round.
THE CoUNTRY.-A young man from the
country, who hand recently come into pos
session of few thousand dollars, visited
an uncle in the city, an old merchant to
get his advice about investing his capital
in business. $50 back to the country,
young man." said the merchant, "and in
vest your money in land. Buy farm, set
tie down on it, and do safe business. |
have been in business here nearly forty
years and have accumulated a fortune, but
it has been done by fearful risk, heavy
responsibility, constant toll and worrying
anxieties. A dozen times have been on
the verge of bankruptcy, and twice | have
been sorely tempted to take my own life
OF ten men who commenced business when
| did, only one besides myself succeeded.
The rest all failed, one after another, some
dragging their families down to poverty
and disgrace. Take my advice Keep
away from the city and it's delusive bust
ness avenues. Quiet contentment on
moderate competency in the country, is the
best fortune l could wish you"