Wichita eagle., 1889-04-04
PERTAINING TO THE FARM.
Hogs in Southwestern Kansas.

In a recent numUer OF the Aiafh OOui-
ty Clipper, the following suggestive ar
ticle appeared:
As we are SO far from any market for
the crops that are surest in this county
| that they cannot be raised and shipped
/ proftably, it becomes our farmers to
/ secure some kind of stock into which to
! feed these crops, that the farmers may
reap the profits rather than the middle
men. This list will comprise horses,
cattle, hogs, sheep. poultry, etc. As
/ raising horses for market successfully
/ requires larger capital than many OF
our farmers can command, it would be
useless to urge our farmers TO start
horse ranches, although many may make
money by going as far in this direction
as their means will admit Of Cat
! tie, although not SO eXpen-
sive as horses, it Is still beyond
the limit of majority OF our
farmers even to have a large he'd of
cattle. We would like to urge them,
however, to get all the calves they can
and hold on to all they get. Sheep re-
! quire so much care and close attention
that not every one is able to handle them
profitable. But hogs multiply rapidly,
thrive well and can not only be kept but
fattened on SO many crops that are easy
to raise and sure to produce, that the
cost of keeping and fattening hog is
very small. A man with vey small
amount of money can buy from five to
twenty good brood sows, and by careful
breeding can in two years have large
drove of hogs. He can keep them or
fatten them on sorghum, rice corn, milo
maize, peas, peanuts, katfir corn, pump
kins, watermelOns, any of which are q
sure crop and easily raised and cared for.
After the first year, if properly handled,
he can market twice a year bunch of
hogs from six months to one year old,
weighing from 100 to 250 pounds apiece,
and bringing more per pound than any
other kind of hogs. A brood sow Is sup
posed to be in her prime between the
ages of two and five years, and should
then be fattened. BY being careful to
breed to nothing but the best of hogs,
and by carefully selecting the most like
" pigs each time for brood sows and pre-
venting the others from breeding, you
can raise the standard of your drove of
hogs instead of letting 1t run down. The
care of hogs is something that is consid-
cred but very little They are the most
abused of any class of animals. Any
number less than one hundred head
should have a lot 800 10y 800 feet at least.
1t ought to have draw or some rough
land in it, the more the better. 1t Must
be closely fenced SO as to prevent the
hogs from getting started to tearing
through, for If they ever get
started you can never stop them.
They must have plenty of fresh
pure water at all times, not occasionally,
and they ought to have all the the feed
they can eat, SO they will leave little
but not waste any. A change of feed
every two weeks is beneficial. Shade is
necessary. IF there is no nataral shade,
it must be provided by trees, or shed
built on posts, covered with cane or
straw, which should be fully six foot
high and fat-roofed, and as large as
possible, well drained and with no Sides
When fattening the hogs should be
crowded in a much smaller space. Vic
1ous hogs put by themselves, so there
will be no fighting or running around.
Be kind to your hogs-you will have less
trouble with them and they will fatten
faster The main question after
that of feed is the market Here
tofore Kansas City has been our
nearest market but now we
have Just as good markets nearer home.
With about half the expense our farmers
can now ship to Wichita and receive
just as good prices as at Kan
sas City. Two of the largest pork pack
ing institutions in the country are now
located at Wichita and Clark county has
direct railway communication with that
city. The question that now remains to
be solved is whether our people will util
ize these opportunities as they are
brought face to face with them. There
is more profit IN hogs than in anything
else farmers can raise, considering the
amount invested, and a better market
afforded for them than anything else
Farmers, if you want TO roll the mort
cages off your farms roll the hogs on and
care for them properly, and Clark will
soon be one of the wealthies counties Of
the great west.