The Red Cloud chief., 1881-11-03
The Pigs,

One of the greatest difficulties with
which hog raising in the United States
has had to contend, is the haste OF
breeders to get their hogs into market,
q haste which resulted IN the forcing
process, on the wrong kind of food, tn
which we believe much of our hog dis
ease is attributable. Breeders proceed
10 build 4 mountain of fat upon moth
ing, the animal often having neither
bone nor muscle to support the load.
Necessarily there must be a collapse of
n greater or less character, for it is ut
terry impossible for a hog that has been
neglected to the utmost in some partic-
ular. and forced to the utmost in some
other particular, TO be in that robust
hea th which is required TO ward off
disease. Our swine breeders will never
meet with the full measure of success
Until they pay attention to the develop
rlent of the hogs muscular system. To
accomplish this the animal Eust have q
chance for exercise, and it is pertinent
to suggest in this connection that while
some hogs are confined in close, or COM
paratively close quarters, stubbles are
lying idle, and the insects which the
swine might disturb and destroy quiet
ly resting for operations next year.
Turn the hogs into these fields, and is
sue orders in that vulgar but forcible
sentence, root hog or die" They
will not die, and will not root to do any
harm. but they will pick up all that can
be converted into bone, sinew or fat,
and will get the necessary exercise in
doing it. The man who fails tC give
the growing hogs sufficient field room
in the summer and autumn, upon pas
ture AMI stubble, will never raise as
good hogs a the man who does. II
swine are raised to any considerable ex-
tent upon the farm, careful provision
should be made for this, and fences
should be provided for its accomplish
ment, with as much solicitude as they
are provided for the cattle inclusure.
There are farms, too many of them by
all odds. where the hogs are prevented
from enjoying sufficient range for the
wan of fence. This is all wrong and
very Improbable. Whatever fence is
adopted, its fitness to turn hogs, where
they are kept in large numbers, should
be kept steadily in view. Nothing is
more certain than that immense rs are
our hog products, they might be vastly
increased with the same number of
hogs, if all the little details connected
with hog breeding and raising were
attended 10. The difficulty with .
great many of Us Western farmers is
that we are satisfied with q portion of
what w might accomplish if we were
more careful. The stony land OF New
England, by careful and economical
cultivation, is made to produce every
bushel that it viii produce; while our
land does not produce scarcely half
what it might and We are satisfied.
Perhaps We are not poor enough, al
though the prospect is tina. we shall be
unless we do something pretty quickly
10 stop the extortion OF monopolies.
In the matter of hog raising we can do
much better If we viii, and to do it we
must study the laws of swine nature and
shape our methods to them.
Our views are fully understood, with
reference to the feeding of swine, hav-
ing been Frequently stated in these col
umns- Until the hog is ready to fatsen.
it should be fed with quantities of phos-
phatic food; when fafsening. carbona
oeous foods Western RuF0l