The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-10-23
AGRICULTURE.

AGRICULTURE.
HINTS ON FooD FOR IIOR"Es. The
foundation Of many diseases Is laid in
feeding all horses in the same proper
tiOns, without any regard to age, con-
stitution, or the work which the horse
is required to do. The impropriety of
such Il course is readily seen. Bad hay
has not tpropcr ronrishmont in it, there
fore IT. would be poor policy to buy it
SIMPLY because It is cheap, as it is often
very dear In the end. Old horses will
DO better on chaf than on hay, as they
can chew and digest IT better. There
Is not sufficient nutrimcnt in grass or
bay alone to support Il horse well under
hard work. Corn which has boon dam
aged Is very INJURIOUS, rs il will produce
inflammation Of the bowels and skin
diseases. Oats and corn are the best
nourishm"nC when Il horse is worked
hard, but if not, it should be chiefly
hay, because corn ami oats supply more
n0uriShnent and flesh making material
than any other kind of food; but hay
not so much. For Il coach horse. four
to six quarts OF good oats and eighteen
pounds of good hay are sufficient usu-
ally. If Il horse should be worked har-
der, 1t should have more of each; but
if worked but little, should have less.
Chopped hay sprinklcd with Il little
water, which has had Il tcaspoonful Of
salt dissolved in it is quite pleasing to
the taste of the horse and is also more
easily uigcstcd. Spring or well water
is not usually rs good for Il horse us
water from stream or pond, rs the
former is usually hard and cold. A
horse should not be driven nor worked
hard directly after It has had full
draught of wpter, nor soon after eating
heartily, us cXcrtion prevents digestion.
DO not allow horse to become aCcuS-
toned to drinking warm water, for if
compelled to drink cold at any time it
will be liable to cause collie. DO not
work nor drive horse after he refuses
his food, after drinking, Until you have
given him rest.
RAISING PIGs.-The most important
thing for the swine breeder at this sea-
son of the year Is to get the greatest
possible growth from his spring pigs.
There is no period in the life Of the
hog when so great Il return for the food
consumcd is possible us during the first
six months, and it is here that the ad-
vantages ofskilful fccdingarc apparent.
Unless great care be taken the growth
of the pig will be seriously checked
when it is from three to five weeks old.
The milk Of the cam, which was ample
to promote rapid growth in the litter
Of pigs during the first two or three
weeks, IS not sufficient to answer the
demands Of the same litter as they grow
older. Hence the pigs should early be
taught to look elsewhere for part Of
their sustcnancc. This is M easy mat
ter. a little milk or nutritious food of
any kind, in liquid form, placed con-
veniently by, where the pigs can have
access to IL at all times, but beyond the
reach Of the SOW, will soon do tho work,
and it should be rcplcnished frequently
through the day. If this is attended to
there Will be no "stunting" Of the pigs
at this critical period, and their growth
will be uniform and rapid. a good
clover pasture is Il valuable adjunct and
helps wonderfully. The true secret Of
pork making Is tOpush the pig from the
date of birth until it is big enough for
the market, and the earlier the aye ut
which this point can be reached the
greater is the return for the food con-
sumed. ~ slup made Of corn and oats,
ground in about equal parts, with lit
tic oatmeal added, makes the best food
for the SOW while suckling, to increase
the flow of milk; and this, with clover
pasture and plenty OF soaked corn dur
ing the summer, will promote II rapid
and healthy growth of the pigs.
FENCES.-On most farms there are
too many fences. But as fencing ma
tcrial grows scarce the evil is curing
itself. AS they fall into decay they arc
not renewed, and in a few years the
ground they occupy is cleared and the
divided lots are thrown into ono. But
this is Il slovenly and wastcful way.
In all cases 1t Is better, If Il permanent
fence Is not needed, to remove it before
1t rots away, and IL possible use the
material where 1t can be Of real adyan-
tagc. a few fences and those perfect
of their kind should be the rule. The
land which useless fence occupies Is
worse than wasted, for it is necessarily
harbor for weeds and shrubs which
rob the soil even where the plow can
go. Very many farmers can dispense
with much fencing that they deem nee
cssary. Fall pasturing, especially Of
young clover, is often not worth so
much rs the clover leaves would be to
fall on the ground rs mulch. Tenn
porary fences will take the place Of
many which have been permanent. and
In places where land Is dear and tho
amount Of stock kept is small, soiling
Is fast coming into favor.