Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-29

such weight cannot be produced on COM
mon or native breeds, unless possibly at
double the age. and of course double the
amount of feeding. The question, then,
must turn on the original cost. If it
costs less to start with fine stock than 1t
would cost in time aud food TO bring
common stock up to the fine stock . kill
ing value, then the fine stock is the kind
to have. of course, but not otherwise.
This point must be settled by actual ex-
perience or observation rather than by
the published statements of some dealer.
Mr.. j. o. Terrell of Terrell, Tex,
says through Farm and Ranch, that the
signs of the times would seem to indicate
that Texas is destined to, at TO distant
day, rank well up as the greatest hog
producing state in the Union. He knows
of no other country in which hogs grow
SO fast or in which so much weight can
be obtained from given amount of food,
and certainly there is no other state In
which the hog enjoys such immunity from
disease. Almost constantly within the
past twenty years he has had money in
vested IN hogs in Texas, and through all
that time he has seen but one outbreak
of cholera, and that could be directly
traced to an importation from another
state and was easily and promptly con-
trolled after its development here.
But the hog, like everything else,
calls for proper management, he says.
In the first place pure air and water are
entirely necessary for the hog, little as
people generally seem to think of it that
way. Mud or dirt may not be specially
Objectionable in all cases, but the water
should not be staguant or rendered i'm
pure by any decaying or decomposing
element. Dead animals of every kind
should be removed and even deoaying
vegetation is not necessary to the pros
perity of the pig. His food must be
somewhat varied. He is fond of corn,
and its extensive use III hog feeding is
much less Objectionable in the South
than it is in more northern states. .TheeeS
it is hard and fiinty; here it is s<fs and
more easy of digestion. ButSfl0 not feed
corn alone. Wheat bran mixed with
water and fed before sourthg makes
first class change, and the nAg that has
corn in the morning ard brRn.s}nSsfhe
evening ought to be contented II he has
free access to grass in its season. I
A hog needs grass as much as does a \
horse or COW, but it cannot thrive on
grass alone, no matter how fine and sue
culent that grass may be. With clover
il might be somewhat different-that
may be an issue after We succeed in in
ducing clover to thrive here, but it is
not question for discussion at present.
1t is generally admitted that clover has
not yet been made q wide success in
Texas, though this does not argue that it
will never be made general success.
He regards Bermuda as fine grass for
hogs-one acre of it thickly set and well
MANFRED, will furnish abundant grass
to twenty hogs, he says, and an ear of
corn and pound of wheat bran per
head each dav in addition thereto, will
keep them thrifty and growing through
the spring and summer seasons and put
them in fine condition to go on full feed
early in the fall.
According to his notion the porker
should be from eight to twelve months
old before turning over to the slaughter
pen, and at that age he should weigh
from 200 to 400 pounds. The old fash
Toned razor-back hog man will be fright
ened at these figures, but no need of it
they can be reached with good hog
easily enough.