St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1880-05-08
Economical HOg.Raising.

Economical Hog.Raising.
Many farmers do not seem to be
aware of the fact that the hog by nature
| is grazing ANIMAL and that if turned
out to shift for himself will thrive as
well as any domesticated animal, except
the goat. There are rs good reasons
for pasturing hogs as for pasturing COWS,
sheep, and horses. In truth better
argument may be made out in favor of
soiling cows than there can in the case
| of hogs. Green food, such as clover and
grass, is not only the cheapest but the
best food for animals during warm
weather. 1t tends to keep them healthy,
while it contains a sufficient amount Of
flesh and fat forming substances to in
sure good growth. Hogs that have the
run of a good clover pasture are much
less liable to sickness than those that are
kept in pens or yards during the warm
est portions of the year.
A pasture surrounded by strong,
tight fence is essential for Keeping hogs
that are to rely on green food during the
summer season. They cannot be herded
like cattle and sheep, and it is not well
to keep them in an inclosure with other
kinds Of stock. An acre should be al
lowed for every five hogs and pigs. Red
clover, the common or mammoth variety,
furnishes the most and the best kinds Of
food. The ground should be seeded the
year before it is to be used for pasture.
An old sod of white clover furnishes a
large amount of food for hogs, but it
may be used to better advantage by other
kinds Of stock. Orchard grass furnishes
excellent food for hogs; and, as it will
stand frequent groupings without in
jury, it is well adapted for sowing on
land intended for hog pasture. When
young it is tender, sweet and nutritious.
A"hog pasture should contain some
shade. Hogs enjoy lying in the shade of
trees and bushes and some protection
from the heat of the sun is necessary to
their well-being If the land selected
and prepared for hog pasture contains
no trees or bushes, a shelter from the
sun should be made from some cheap
material. A roof may be made by nail
ing saplings to common posts, and a
covering formed of bushes and swale
grass or straw: A hog pasture should
contain liberal supply of pure water.
A spring or spring brook is almost in
valuable in pasture for hogs. 1t may
be made to supply water in a trough for
drinking purposes, and also to fill a small
pond in which the hogs can wade and
refresh themselves when they are warm.
If practicable the bottom of the pond
should be covered with gravel or flat
stones.
A pasture of the kind above described
will afford abundant food for hogs from
the 1st of May till October, unless a
drouth occurs. 1t is well, however, to
be prepared to supply any deficiency in
the yield of clover and grass. To fur
nish green food in case it is wanted in
time of drouth some forage crop should
be raised near the pasture, SO it may be
cut as occasion requires and thrown over
the fence. In Canada oats and tares,
sown together, are raised for the purpose
of feeding to hogs. during the summer.
Sweet corn is a good crop to raise for
this purpose, as logs will eat the ears,
leaves and stalks. During September
the suckers of field corn may be cut and
fed to hogs to excellent advantage. Ii
oats and rye lodge in the field they may
be cut and taken to the hog pasture
Unripe pumpkins and squashes and
wind-falls in the orchard can also be used
for feeding hogs.
There is economy in fattening hogs
quite early in the fall, so that they will
be ready for the market before the
weather becomes very cold. If there is
no old corn for feeding them during Oc-
tober, and that in the field is not ripe, it
will be best, on many accounts, to feed
some of it while yet green. In the early
part of the fall hogswill eat much of the
stalks as well as the leaves and ears of
green corn. When the corn becomes
ripe the hogs should be allowed to eat
all they will of it. 1t is he t, for many
reasons, to let them remain in the sum-
mer pasture, or in some large grass lot,
till such time as the cold renders them
uncomfortable. Hogs are more likely to
remain healthy if they have the run of d
large lot that is clean and we'll supplied
with water, than if they are kept in close
quarters, necessarily filthy and poorly
supplied with water.
There comes time, sooner or later,
in the period of fattening hogs, when
they begin to lose their appetite for raw
corn. 1t is often the case that their
mouths become sore by Smelling the
kernels from the cob. 1t is then advisa-
BILE to change their feed. There may be
no economy in grinding corn or in cook
ing meal for hogs in the early stage of
the process of fattening them, but there
is economy in doing both after they have
become quite fat, and their appetite is
impaired Raw meal mixed with water
or milk is an agreeable change from
whole corn, and this diet should after a
few weeks be followed by meal cooked,
and, if practicable, favored with apples
or some kind of vegetables. Gradually
improving the diet of hogs during the
entire season is conducive to healthy
growth and the laying on of fat.
There is no cheaper or better food for
hogs during the time they can not obtain
clover or tender grass than Jerusalem
artichokes. They are conducive to
health and the growth of muscle. They
are easily raised and the hogs will dig
them as they want them to eat. If
planted on land that will produce a good
crop of potatoes, an average crop is
about five hundred bushels to the acre.
Artichokes are not injured by remaining
in the ground all winter. If some of