The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-12-05
FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
Wintcring Young Pigs,

Pigs born later than the first of Octo-
Der will need good care and skilful
management to keep them in thrifty,
growing condition through the winter.
This is particularly the case if you keep
them in large numbers; and it is good
plan to sell all you can before winter sets
in. People who only keep two or three
pigs, to eat up the slops from the house,
can handle their pigs to better advan-
tagc than the large farmer or breeder.
Such young pigs need milk, greasy
water, or broth ard bread. or cooked
potatoes with corn-meal pudding. These
arc more likely to be literally furnished
from the kitchen when you have only
two pet pigs than when you have two
score or two hundred. Whatever
method of feeding is adopted, let it be
liberal. Let them have all the good
feed they will cat-no more, no less
Give them good, dry, comfortable quar-
tiers to sleep in; disturb them as little as
possible Pigs are, in part, alternating ami
mails. The more they sleep the better for
them and their owner. We do not want to
fstten pigs in winter. We simply want
to keep them in healthy, growing con-
dition; and the fatter they are when
winter sets in, the easier it will be to
carry them through the winter Pigs
well wintered are in good condition to
thrive well on grass and clover next
summer. They will do far far better on
pasture alone than young spring pigs.
We are not now advocating having
Young pigs come in the autumn; but. if
you have them and cannot sell them or
n foil ho E
care of them, and feed literally. The most
profitable pork we have ever made was
from young pigs which had been well
cared for through the previous winter
and the next summer fattcncd on clover
pasture. Experiments have proved that
corn is not the best food for the pro.
duction Of pork when fed alone; but it
is employed more extensively than all
other grains, roots and vegetables to-
gcther. If used as a chief article in
combination with other foods it is I'M
equaled by any other cereal or vegeta-
bic that can be successfully grown over
as great a range of country. Peas,
barley, oats, mangels, potatoes and
artichokes are undoubtedly valuable to
certain extent; but they can never su-
persede corn for reasons obvious to every
intelligent farmer. We shell corn and
soak 1t in water twenty-four hours to
soften it, because some hogs, with de-
fective teeth, cannot thoroughly masti-
cate it when hard, and consequently
waste a great deal. Soaked corn con
tains all the fattening qualities of
cooked corn, and is as digcstiblc. Soak
ing costs nothing; cooking is expensive.
For soaking corn it is best to use two
tanks or tubs. When a cheap power can
be obtained, it would probably pay to
coarsly grind or crack the corn; twelve
hours would then be sufficient for soak
ing. For variety, and to keep the hogs
in healthy, thrifty condition, feed pota-
toes, mangcls, peas, artichokes, oatmeal,
and bran or middings, mixed to a mush
with skim-mllk or Stops; even if only in
small quantities they will prove very
beneficial. Aim to feed hogs for market
probably. Intelligent observation and
experiment will show how it can be
done. Remember that warm dry, we'll
bedded sheds are absolutely essential to
profitable feeding. american Agricul-
tUriSt