Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-03-12

NONE OF our farm animals answers
more quickly to. or yields more profit
from good treatment, that swine; and
in many localities, none are more ne
elected than these homely, but useful
animals, In the West, where hogs run
at large and follow the droves of feeding
steers, their management after they are
weaned is very simple, but where hogs
are kept in yards or pens and are ex-
pected to subsist mainly on skinned
milk, or the refuse from the kitchen
more care is necessary attended to, or
they will not thrive as they ought The
most important thing TO remember in
feeding hogs is, that there is no ''stock
orders" the pig that is not so fed that
1t gains in weight continually and rap
idly, is not a profitable animal, and
soon eats more feed than il is worth
Many farmers keep a pen of store hogs
in low condition through the winter, at
dead loss; the pigs do not grow. and
yet eat almost as much as the fattening
hogs. Here, again, we come to the
flood of support" The larger part OF
the pigs food is needed to keep him
alive, and prevent him from going back
ward; and very little more food, iu-
diciously applied, will usually make all
the difference between profit and loss in
keeping pigs.
The cheapest pork is that made from
pigs which have been fed all that they
would eat. If it does not pay to make
pork by liberal feeding, it does not pay
to make it at all, and it had better be
given up. The care of pigs should be-
gin as soon as they are born; sometimes
the sows are very savage and, if not
prevented, will eatthe pigs soon as they
appear. If q SOW shows this DISPOSE
ton she should be watched and the
pigs taken from her When her labor
is finished, they should be carefully put
down beside her and she will generally
take up with them at once. The pen
for breeding-sows should be roomy and
warm, the floor nearly level, so that the
weight of her body will not settle down
and crush the pigs.
GOOD sEED-CoRN.
1t is poor plan to take seed-corn
from the bin, or even save it at huskino
time. 1t ought To be selected Just when
the kernels are hardening, about the
first of September. Then, in passing
the field, one can see where two ears
are set upon one stalk, which be of
medium height, leafy and erect, with
ears we'll covered with husks, and well
tipped out. Such ears, upon such stalks.
particularly the best ears on two-eared
stalks, should have string tied around
them so that at the husking they will
be thrown out unhusked This is no
uncommon practice among corn grow
ers who take pride in their own seed
corn. When it comes to husking there
ought TO be four times as many ears
thrown out as will be sufficient for seed.
and they will probably be fine look
Ing lot, with few exceptions. II the
variety is favorite, or a really rood
one, there will very likely be sale for
these ears at good price for seed after
the best shaped ones have been taken
for home use. Which are the bestp
First: The medium sized ones, because
the large ones are monstrosities in
small way, and not so likely to repro
duce themselves as to produce diver
sity OF ears, some large and some small.
Second: The even-rowed ones. because
irregularities in the rows indicate an
untixed type, and a tendency to depart
from the type. An eight-rowed corn
should always be eight-rowed. and
eight-rowed throughout the ear; so
with the ten, the twelve, sixteen, or
twenty-rowed' ears. Ten at the but.
and eight at the tip, shows wrong
tendency, as already said, in the matter
OF type; besides, it shows an inclination
to form big butts. Third: The butts
must be small, easy to break off from
the stem and husks, yet not weak and
habby for those are as hard to break
OIL as a leather thong. l have been iu-
to felds OF corn TO husk and had nv
hand. blistered in q short time. on ac-
count of the size and toughness OF the
butts OF the ears, while in other corn
fields the work of husking was real
pleasure, at least for a short time
Fourth: The cob must be small.
straight and stiff. The size Of the cob
IS easily known by the length of the
kernel. When weli-ripened corn dries
on the ear, the cob shrinks more than
the grain. Hence it holds the kernels
firmly set, and the whole ear feels as
still as an oak pin.