Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-05-29
Summer Care of Hogs.

Summer Care Of Hogs.
The principal diet of hogs in sum.
mer should be grass, rich slop, fruits
and vegetables, and some corn /; these,
with the worms and insects obtained
on range, are amply sufficient to sus-
tain a steady growth until the cool
autumn weather sets in, when the
diet of sound corn with some slop
should be continued until they are fat
enough for killing or for Market
This process of taking hogs through
the summer applies equally to hogs
that have been wintered, or to spring
pigs, except that pigs should be fed
stronger on account of their more
rapid growth.
Summer ia the time to make pork
making it in winter is much like run
ming a boat against q wind and tide ;
it requires too much food to keep up
the supply CT animal heat. If hogs
have plenty of grass in summer, and
about half the grain they will eat,
they will fatten rapidly, and about
three pounds of pork can be made
from less grain in this way, than one
pound can be made in cold weather
with hog in close pen. The grass
is cooling and loosening. and counter
acts the feverish properties Of the
grain.
Another important consideration
in favor of such a diet is cost, which
is merely nominal as compared with
grain alone. Free access to pure wa
ter and good shade is essential to the
comfort and consequent growth and
thrift of the pig. The hog delights
in cool, damp locality, and is very
sensitive to heat and cold, and suffers
extremely from exposure to either.
Any unusual exercise will be fatal to
hog that is fat, on hot day, if it
has not free access to water.
Hogs are not apt to root when
there is plenty of grass on the ground,
but rings in their noses have many
great advantages, and by all means
should be used. They should be al.
lowed to have all the grass they will
eat as early in the spring as possible,
and clover and timothy is good for
them in the winter. Hogs that have
run to grass and slop all summer, can
be shut up in pen and fed to advan-
tage six weeks or two months, but not
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 con.
finement in filth and dirt will check
the growth, however generous the
feed but if starved at the same time
1t will be 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 nj
corn-meal should be fed to yount
pigs before they are four months old
The effects of corn and raw corn-mea
on young pigs are these: The pig
will first be costive, then they vii
scOur. They will rub against every
thing they come in contact with. ant
rub their hair off. Their skin will
have red and dry appearance. 4
dry, black scurf will begin to form
on them, and the more of the corr
duo HCuA luAI cat, tuC PooIC
they will get. The best thing tina
can be done for pig in this condi
ton is to give him thorough wash
ing in warm rain water or sour milk
Sour milk is best. Coarse -four o
middlings from rye or wheat, whel
made into a thin drinkable slop wit
milk, is the best feed for young pig
except bread and milk. Bread is GOO
for very young pigs because it ha
been leavened. Food has to fermen
before it will digest, and if fed to
Iyoung pig before fermented, it vii
overtask his stomach and spoil him
Lettuce is good for young pigs. l
will stop the scours on them. TIL
middlings should be put with til
milk at night, after the feeding ha
been done, and allowed to be in tn
: milk through the night, never allow
ing the swill tub to get quite empty
. always leaving little in the bottor
for yeast. The swill should never b
allowed to get stale. Hogs or pig
: treated as here described will groy
to satisfaction and prove profitable
Ohio Farmer.