The morning news., 1892-03-28
hog Pasture.

RsalIzing the fact that the time has arr
rived when all farmers must know that we
cannot possibly prosper by growing 6 aud
cent cotton and buy our meat and bread
the truth is. there never was tins when
we ought not to have produced all Of every
thing possible for home consumption-I
thought perhaps it might be well enough to
give cheap and practicable plan of raising
hogs. says w. W. Stell in Terds Farm and
Ranch.
advise to use five acres for the pasture.
where parties wish TO raise both for home
use and for market; a smaller one will AN
swer for home use exclusively. First pre-
pare the ground as for an orchard. Plant
Hicks EverDearing mulberry trees thirty
feet apart both ways-forty-eig trees to
the acre. Then sod one-halt of the five
acres to Bermuda grass and the other half
TO Texas blue grass. Use the roots ot both
TO plant, and plant about one and one-haif
feet apart in rows that are four feet apart,
leaving spaces Of six to eight feet next to
the tree rows, In order that the trees may
be well cultivated two or three years before
the entire ground is matted by the grasses.
| II the soil is good the trees will then have
grown so large they are not likely to be
| choked out by the grass. The Hicks null
berry is a rapid grower aud early and pro-
life bearer. and seems to be as hardy as the
| wild mulberry. Begins to ripen its fruit
here first of May, and continues four solid
months. This fruit is more excellent for
hogs and poultry and far better for man
| than the wild variety, / have found the
Russian mulberry, so highly recommended
10 Kansas and some other northern states.
wholly worthless for fruit as compared to
the Hicks. The Downing mulberry, while
| its fruit is larger than Hicks, is not so good
in quality aud only lasts about six weeks,
and the tree is not ct all hardy here.
Every Downing mulberry tree-old ones,
six to eight inches In diameter and eighteen
to twenty feet high-on my place was
! killed outright by the cold snap in Feb
ruary, 1890. Both Ithese grasses should be
cultivated Cne or two years-that is. the
weeds, etc., should be kept down.
| After this they will be able to care for
themselves. A pool might be made in the
pasture, but when the hogs have free access
to this fruit and grasses they will require
but lutte if any water. In addition to. or
| before this pasture is ready for the run or
the hogs-they should not be allowed to
run in it for one year at least, and perhaps
| not until after two years; by no means until
the grasses are thoroughly established-one
| acre in sorghum, or even one-half acre, l
| have found TO pay better than almost any
thing on my place. The sorghum is used as
| green feed and can be cut three or four
times during the season. Begin to cut and
use it as soon as about two feet high or a
little less / feed this to all kinds Of stock
with the very best results. Sorghum will
thrive in very dry summer when many
other things fail. II we would 60 little
further and plant. say only one-haf acre
| each to Spanish peanuts and Brazilian or
| Jerusalem artichokes, it would be a more
excellent thing for both sows and pigs, as
well as porkers. or course the breed of hogs
should receive earnest consideration. While
others may differ. my own ch uice, and that
from experimenting with several Of the
best breeds, is a mixed hog-half and hal I
| Poland China and Berkshire. OF course 1t
| is absolutely necessary to have the best Of
| full bloods on both sides to produce this re-
| suit. This five-acre pasture can be made
cheaply. Hicks mulberry trees can be had at
| $40 per 100 by the single hundred; in large
lots at less price. Texas blue grass roots
can be had at 50 per 1000 Bermuda grass
can often be had for the trouble of taking it
up. DON'T say you can't raise hogs; raise
my own meat and sell bacon every year.
| have just slaughtered and disposed of five
| hogs of the same litter-and not all Of the
litter at that-at 10 months old. The five
weighed over 1000 pounds, which is equal
in weight to four 500-pound bales of CO ton,
and at the same price Of middliDg cotton. II
| will not do to say that you can grow four or
| even three bales of cotton as cheaply as
| raised these five hogs. 1t is my opinion
| that 500 and perhaps 200 pounds OK first
class pork can be raised as cheaply as 500
pounds OF middling cotton.