Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-11-13
How to Feed Hogs to the Great.
est Profit.

Mr.. l.. w. Challis, of Kansas, re-
Gently had an article in the New York
Tribune, which he headed, clog
Boarding for One Cent Day." We
reproduce the article to show how he
would keep hog at this remarkably
cheap rate. He says:
"The hog is to some extent q graz
ing animal, and free run in fields of
red clover, such As is common in the
East, will supply many of his wants.
The great hog producing districts are
not generally favored with this, and
reliance is of necessity on prairie
grass and corn. The present price Of
corn is better than that Of pork, and
the man who attempts to make hogs
from pigs by throwing corn in the ear
from his cribs will soon need guar
dian. 1t is q sure road to poverty
Indeed, corn and water in the crude
state will not make hogs out of pigs
but runts. Corn is infiammatory,
and in crude form produces very lit
tie growth, each pound Of increase
produced by it costing three times it's
value. Better sell your corn and buy
your meat. But this is unnecessary,
for the same material can be manip.
ulated so as to make pork raising
profitable at two cents q pound. The
secret is in feeding essence Of corn,
and no crude corn. I speak of tho
treatment of hogs during the grow
ing period, the finish for market be-
ing different process. Get one,
three or five sugar hogsheads, ac-
cording to the size of your herd re-
move the inside hoop that holds the
bottom, caulk well with oakum
around the bottom, replace the hoop
and bury side by side in the ground
three feet or more, near q we'll or
spring where there will be plenty of
water, and hinge lid to each one.
If in the hog pasture, fence around,
or you will lose hogs by getting an
overdose, as one experience will fully
verify. Have large troughs, made
Of two-inch plank, placed contiguous.
Grind your corn fine and put in each
hogshead four to six bushels and q
quart Of salt. This may make you
sick, hut wait. Fill up with water,
stir occasionally for two or three
days, and when fermentation has fair
ly set in-say two or three days-be-
gin to feed. It is always ready after
ward, for there is yeast in the bottom.
Feed and fill up with water at once,
always keeping them full repeating
twice each day, until the homeopath-
ic dilution reminds you that further
progress in that direction might be
cruelty to animals, then throw in q
sack of feed and proceed as before.
Those who have not tried the plan
will be astonished to what attenua.
ton corn can be thus reduced and to
what results will be wrought.
| We have seven hOgsheads running
in this way, and have demonstrated
the fact that q 2OO-pound porker car
be kept growing by this process on .
cost of one cent day. Each hog
will drink from two to five gallon,
at feed, disteud, lay down, grun
and grow. For the young pigs {
trough should be shut off from tn,
herd, and their food made richer
They need distention as do hogs. ant
will acquire the habit of assimilatint
largely. Into these tubs can b.
thrown the refuse from the kitchen
and dairy, thereby increasing tn,
good results. Wheat, rye, barley
millet, broom-corn seed, &C., can b,
gEOund and utilized in the same man
ner. l am aware that slop for hog
is no new thing, and that the farme
Of the East uses his brand and short
in that way, but what we now aim a
is how to convert the corn and sur
plus grain of the farm into pork will
tho greatest profit. applicable alike t,
small or large business. The read
err will understand that where hog
have no range or grass, the slop mus
be fed three times a day, and be O
increased strength. In district
where there are no facilities 70
grinding, if the corn in the ear o
shelled is soaked in water twenty
four hours before feeding, it will b
: much improved az A summcr food.