The Bossier banner., 1893-12-21
FARMER AND PLANTER.
SWINE BREEDING.

One of the Most Profitable Branches of
Farm Industry if Intelligently Fol-
lowed.
1t has been repeated many times
within the last few months that swine
raising is just now probably the most
profitable farm work that anyone can
engage in. The price of hogs is very
high, while all grain is so low that it
pays in some instances to feed it to the
swine rather than sell it. In fact, there
are very few seasons when it does not
pay to feed some grain to the hogs.
They do SO much better by it, and they
are sure to return the money with good
interest.
1t is dangerous, however, to enter
into new business in headlong haste
simply because just now it Is paying.
Probably a great number of farmers
will begin to raise hogs on larger
plan simply through the recommenda-
tion of the agricultural press. There
may be another season too many hogs
to make the business profitable. 1t is
just as well to go cautiously and not
abandon everything else with the idea
that swine raising is going to pay all
of the bills.
Nevertheless, the writer has great
faith in swine raising, and when it is
properly conducted, there is good
money in it. There are seasons when the
margin of profits is small, but there are
other years when it is large. We must
average the profits for number of
years for any industry to determine
whether there is profit in the work.
This is the way with hog-raising. On
disputing this, and those who have
shown their faith in it by pursuing it
steadily year after year are reaping
the rewards this season. There is more
demand for hogs than the farmers can
supply, and this will continue for some
time to come
Good breeds of hogs must be raised
in order to find profit in the work. If
one will select these, and then study
the methods of feeding so that we can
get the best returns for the cheapest
food, he is sure to find money in the
work when pursued'regularly and deter
mipedly year after year. The very first
year may prove a disastrous one, but
other good ones will come. This is
true in every business, and it is those
who get discouraged and give up that
make the failures. They generally
fail in everything. We have good
breeds of swine in the Poland-Chinas,
Chester Whites, Duroc-Jerseys, or Vic
torias, and there is really little prefer
ence to be made. They are generally
good feeders and good pork makers.
The different breeds have certain char
acteristics which differ. The Ches-
ters, Suffolks and Yorkshires are all
predisposed to fat; the Poland -Chinas,
Bershire and Cheshire incline toward
lean meats; the Jerseys are good for
roughing it in rough parts of the coun-
try, while the Chesters are not so good
for this work. The Poland-Chinas are
good all-around hogs, and they are
very popular to-day.
When the breed is selected the ami
mails should be fed with a variety of
food that will keep them healthy and
strong. For instance, in the summer
they need plenty of grass and clover.
One acre of good clover will support
seven full l-grown hogs, and very little
else need be given to them in the hot
weather. A little grain added to this
ration would help them. In winter
they should be given roots, potatoes,
turnips, sprouts, hay, small grains and
corn. The latter foods must pre-
dominate then, especially if they are
being fattened for market. The corn,
in fact, is the greatest heating and fat
tening food. but it is bad for the hogs
except when they are being prepared
for slaughter. Any intelligent farmer
can follow up this diet, and in the end
he will find it cheaper than to feed the
hogs almost exclusively corn and filthy
swilL-The Epitomist.