Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1883-06-30
Feeding and Care OF Swine.

Morc attenuion is now palu 10 Jne
raising of choice breeds of swine than
ever before in this country. Our farm
ers have only of late years thought it
worth while to raise pure bred swine,
instead of intermixing the good and
bad; and the result has been better
pork, and perhaps larger profits. But
there are many who, while very careful
in selecting good animals for breeding
purposes, are very lax in taking proper
care of them, and the result is, as we
all know, an increase of disease among
swine. While the common scrub or
half wild animals allowed to roam at
will the greater part of their lives, usu-
ally escape the various swine diseases,
the petted, pure-bred and highly fed,
are often seriously afflicted with fevers
and various intestinal parasites. We
do not believe, however, that pure-bred
animals are naturally any more subject
to disease than the scrubs or mixed
races; but in consequence of being
placed under artificial conditions they
often become weakened and unable to
resist enemies which appear under the
form of diseases Deprived of full lib
erty, the animals take but little exer-
else, and while they may increase in
bulk, they will still be becoming weaker
every day, until disease steps in and
takes off what the owner considers very
healthy animals Adother cause OF
weakness and disease is the almost ex-
elusive feedinx q Indian corn, grain
which farmer tell us is the best and
most natllrA food for swine. We adj,
f. NIT that corn is an excellent food for
swine. especially for the closing weeks
~ pneir lives, for it makes pure, sweet
pork; but it is not the best food for the
young and growing animal, and while
it may be employed sparingly for pigs
and shoats, it should never be the only
food, nor should it constitute the bulk
of the food given. Where corn can be
raised cheaply, as in the Western States,
it is handy food, and many farmers
employ it more on that account than
any other.
During the spring and summer months
the farmer has all he can attend to in
putting in his crops and harvesting
them, and if the hogs are fed regularly,
it is with the handiest kind of food,
without much regard to the actual
wants of the animal, all thoughts of
proper diet being put off until some
later day. The seeds of disease are
often sown among the swine during
few days of neglect, while an actual
outbreak of disease, followed by the
death of the animal, may not occur I'M
til months afterward. Swine require a
variety of food, and while young and
growing must have grass, clover, and
similar substances in abundance.
If corn is to be fed at all, ii
should be made soft by soaking q
few hours, and then be mixed with
slops from the house or milk, and, in
addition, hogs should always have &C
cess to pure water-not that to be
found in their wallowing places, but
that which is pure and wholesome.
Swine should always be kept out at
pasture during the summer, and never
shut up in small pens during hot wealth
er. Shelter should, of course, be pro-
vided, where the animals can rest in the
shade, but close quarters are unhealthy
for swine, as well as other animals.
1t is not necessary, nor is it advisable,
to keep hogs very fat during warm
weather. They should have just enough
food to keep them growing rapidly and
healthily, and no more; and ii kept in
this condition they will 60 into the fat
tening pen in the fall with sound teeth,
good appetites, and healthy digestive
organs. All kinds of inferior and
broken grain, such as barley, rye and
wheat, may be fed with benefit to grow
ing hogs, and toward fall the quantity
may be increased with the addition of
pease and various kinds of roots. We
have known many good farmers who
never think of feeding pound of corn
to their hogs until the close of the sea-
son, or a month or two before killing.
Bran, shorts, soaked pease and similar
food are used instead, and the corn is
given only toput on little extra weight
and give firmness and so,idity to the
pork. Our Eastern farmers can make
pork cheaper on other kinds of food than
corn, and we will venture to say it is as
good an article, and the animals are less
liable to disease than when the pork is
produced exclusively from corn, as is
done in many of the Western States.
In keeping over store hogs or pigs, as
they are usually called, the green,
fibrous food should not be withheld,
even in the winter, and if nothing bet
ter can be had, hay, especially clover
hay, should be cut up fine, soaked in
hot water, and then added to the other
kinds of food. Experiments in feeding
have shown that a gain of from twenty
to thirty per cent. may be obtained by
merely adding steamed clover hay to
the usual feed of corn or corn meal. If
the farmer has stock of roots, these
may be cut up and mixed in instead of
hay, but green food of some kind is
necessary to keep the hogs in good
health.
Brood sows should be in good condi-