The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1892-09-16
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
THE IMPORTANT QUESTION OF
PROFITABLE HOGS.
Adnptability of the Land-Spralns Among
Horses-MOre Buckwheat--IIOr-
ticultural Hints and House
hold Helps.
Can Make Hogs Prnfltahlns

Can Make Hogs ProfitableS
] am quite sure that on one. half the
farms of the country hogs for several
years past have given no profit and
either different system of manage
ment should b. adopted or else the
keeping OF hogs except for home use
be abandoned. A single good brood
SOW to rear two filters year is all
that should be kept on many farms
1t is a slow process for farmers to
'unlearn" that which they have prac.
ticed from boyhood. and us corn has
been the universal food for hogs from
time immemOrial about ninety-nine
out OF one hundred still feed it almost
exclusively and hundreds and thou
sands OF rolling upland farms have
heen overcropped, wasted and nearly
ruined by making hogs and corn the
principal products when the produce
ton OF corn. and consequently of
pork, cost double what it would on
our bottom and prairie farms. which
are natural corn land, hes dcS corn
costing more than it is worth for feed
ing on these farms, under the sys-
tenn followed, all the fencess on
the farm must 6o made pig tight
and this calls for added expense.
A careful consideration OF the ques.
tion Of adaptability OF the farm TO the
production of hogs would lead many
farmers who are now depending
largely on them for income. to give
up keeping them TO any great extent
writes Waldo +. Brown in tho Pract.
cal Farmer If but few hogs are kept
it certainly will pay to be at the en-
pense OF fencing all the farm so that
they can be turned out but two small
lots OF half an acre TO an acre each
and two hog houses which need not
be expensive will DO necessary. You
must have two lots so as TO be able TO
separate the sows from the pigs nj
weaving time
This does not involve keeping the
hogs on grain the entire time for
grass and clover can be cut and fed
in the pen and by successive paintings
green corn can be had to feed three
months of the year. A pig sty as
ordinarily managed is u nuisance
polluting the air for long distance
but on farm where straw is abund-
ant there is no necessity for this and
in chapter which ] shall write later,
will tell how to arrange hog house
so that it will never be offensive, and
how it can be made TO furnish a large
amount OF manure, As rule. | think
it will not pay for a farmer to grow
thoroughbred hogs for meat but do
not question the wisdom orr profit of
using thoroughbred sires. We want
also to breed for early maturity and
the use OF mature sOws and young
boars will give the best results in this
line. | have found also that the use
Of Berkshire or Essex boar on Po-
land China or Chester White sows
gives an excellent pig to iattcu for
market at the age of six or seven
months.
Whatever the breed, the sows ought
10 be large and 'rangy" and the boar
compact and Of n quick maturing
strain. Sows should only be bred FOR
one litter the first year. and may
drop that litter at one year old; but
after they are two years old they
will with good care raise two filters a
year and as it costs quite q sum to
feed full grown sow a year we
ought to make the second litter pay
the expenses The food OF the SOW
needs to be liberal the entire year
when she is utilized for two filters
for we are during most of the year
feeding the embryo pigs as well as
the mother but she should not be
/ fed exclusively on corn as 1t is too
much Of heat and fat producing
food. My own experience and that
of some large breeders Of my &C,
quaintance is very favorable to the
wintering Of brood sows largely on
roots. Beets are the best but turnips
are also good but in either case a
moderate grain feed should be given
each day. Sows wintelcd in this way
will have little trouble ut tarrowing
time and will usually save large litters
and sucklo well and there is no
question that it is cheaper to feed
roots than corn. Health in the herd
counts for more than any or all else
and u bulky, loosening diet like this
goes far toward keeping them
healthy. To get the greatest profit
from pork. the pigs must be put on
the market young.