The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-01-10
FARM AND GARDEN.
Success IN Pig Farming.
American StockmanD

scClhllOu, IOT NOVeInDcT is tNe DtSt NUMBER
yet issued of that useful publication, The lead.
ing article IN the number mentioned IS one
which would be of interest and value to any
farmer We give here part, and would give
more il space permitted:
Pork products are in greater demand to-day
than ever before. Whatever influence the Mo
sale law may once have had upon mankind IN
causing them 90 refrain from the use of swine's
flesh rs an article of dict, that influence is at
this day scarcely, if at all, perceptible. Hams
and bacon, lard and pork, nave become neCes-
sites throughout the civilized world, and
wherever in new regions they art introduced
the demand for them soon increases and a per
manent market is established.
The greatest pork producing regions of the
world are the states of the upper Mississippi
valley. To the parties in these states engaged
in rearing hogs ii Is a matter Of no small I'M
portance that they should know as nearly AS
possible the requirements of this great and
constantly increasing demand.
With our improved facilities for Transports
ton the breeder need no longer aim at secur-
ing an animal that is ~ traveler'--sucE hav-
ing IN former years been one of the best recon.
mendatons hog could have--but can now
devote himself to the production of such hogs
as will bring the best prices when put on the
market, with little regard rs to how they are
10 get there.
Owing to another important advance in the
march of modern civilization, the former de-
mand for lard oil for Illuminating purposes
has been almost entirely done away with, gas
andcoal on having now got into general use
Hence the enormously large and fat hogs of
years ago do not now command the prices they
otherwise would They are not even in dc
mand for the manufacture of heavy fat bacon
and hard sailed pork, such rs formerly found
"A ready market IN the south Since the close
Of the late war hOg-raising in the south has
become somewhat of a leading industry there
to such IN extent, a: least, that the southern
market for western bacon is no longer what it
once was.
The study of the successful hog.raiser of to-
day is to know what the consumers require
and for what they will pay the highest prices.
The demand of the home and foreign markets
for cured meats are not found to vary greatly,
except in this, that the latter takes larger
proportion of evenly assorted product than the
former. Tastes in America seem to differ IN
this regard more widely than in England, the
best market OF late years for the western pro-
duccr The foreign demand has very largely
increased for hams and bacon, and also for
evenly tattened ine-boned hogs, not too fat,
but compact and well bred, averaging about
800 pounds. Such hogs are also used by Chi
cago houses engaged in curing and shipping
meat to England.
Without doubt the true am of western
breeders and feeders is to rear hogs that will
furnish hams and bacon of the finest quality
and the right sizes. Tender, juicy, wel-mar.
bled meat Is the requirement OF the times To
have this we must have hogs that are quick
feeders, of uniform size and growth and ready
for market at an early age. To produce such
hogs with reasonable certainty and the high
est profit, they should be Of welestabllshcd
race, hardy and prolific, and sufficiently active
to make good part Of their growth by graz
ing.
The importance of grazing IN the manage
ment of hogs is too often overlooked. As a
rule hogs can be more economically grown on
grass than on corn, the latter being given them
sparingly until they are to be made ready and
ripened off for market. The exercise they take
in grazing tends to promote a more healthy
growth, and III consequence a better quality
of meat than were they confined to pens and
unduly forced or Overfed with corn ana other
concentrated feed, Rapid and healthy growth
insures the most tender most evenly fattened
and finest favored meat.
Not every breed or variety of hogs known
to the public Is adapted to the grazing method
of feeding. Some will scarcely thrive at all |
even in a clover pasture, where natural breed
grazer will grow fat The more slow.going
and quiet breeds are good as sly pigs, and are
very useful where grazing is impracticable al
though even in such localities the more active
hogs readily adapt themselves to the condi-
tons Of confined quarters and high feed
very necessary qualification in profit
yielding breed is that the dams should be care
iul of their young, and give an abundance of
good milk until the pigs are old enough to
care for themselves. AS above mentioned, the
breed should be hardy and able to withstand
the vCssitudes of a variable western climate
and be 50 prolific as to obvlste the necessity of
keeping on hand a very great number Of breed |
ing animals Well matured ANIMALS only need |
then be retained as breeders 1t may not al
ways be practicable or profitable to keep these
until fully matured before allowing them to
produce at all, but for regular breeding stock |
on which reliance can be had to throw vigor-
GUS and good feeding pigs, let the sres and |
dams be Of good age and well developed be-
fore the selecting from their progeny the indi- |
vidual animals with which to perpetuate the
stock or race. First lltters, as a rule, should |
be sent to market as porkers.
In nearly every breed Of swine known in |
this country can be found greater or less mum
Der of individual animals of superior worth in |
one or more respects. As u rule however,
such are produced with no degree of certainty, |
except from breeds or families that have been
Kept through many successive generations with
view to advancement toward the highest ex-
cellence. Such excellence is but the accumu-
lation or embodiment IN the progeny of the
best traits and qualities that had from time to
time shown shown themselves in the ances-
tors.
The perfect hog, perfect in all the essentials
of fern, size, hardihood prollficacy, feeding
capacity, and power 20 transmit to its descend |
ants its own good qualities, we need not expect |
to find. But If there Is any one breed of our
improved swine that comes nearer reaching
this point than another we believe it is the
Berkshire. We are led to this conclusion part
ly from seeing it SO widely disseminated and
from the impress of Berkshire stock upon so
In In