The Bossier banner., 1894-01-25
FARMER AND PLANTER.
VALUABLE STOCK.
Desirability of Keeping Swine If the Busi-
ness is Not Overdone.

Desirability of Keeping Swine If the Busi-
ness is Not Overdone.
Because hogs increase rapidly, need
only a short season to grow, and with
full feeding can be made ready for
market in a short time, they are class
of stock that is desirable to keep on
the farm. They can be made ready
for market in SO short time that they
are desirable class of stock when
quick returns are needed. OF course it
is necessary, in order to secure the best
results, to have a good breed, and then
give them good treatment; but if this
is DONE good increase and a reason
able quick return can be secured. But
the very fact that with good manage
ment rapid increase can be made, and
with good feeding they can be made
ready for market inside of nine months,
increase the risk of depending too
much upon them. Under certain spe-
cial conditions it may pay the farmer
to make something of a speciality
of hogs to the exclusion of other kinds
of stock. Generally the better plan is
to keep only such number as will
proportion well with the other stock.
Have sufficient number of Sows, and
mate them so as to have two good lit
ters of pigs year, so that when one
lot is marketed, another will be grow
ing to take their place Pigs eat such
variety Of food that they are an
economical stock to keep, to a certain
extent, as they consume much that
would otherwise go to waste. But, of
course, this can be done only to a GER
tain extent, so that after a certain
number is kept the cost is considera bly,
increased. On the farm at least there
is nearly always a decreased risk in a
diversity of interests. If variety of
crops are grown and several kinds of
stock are kept, there is much less risk
of entire failure than when dependence
is placed upon one or two items of farm
production.
Because prices are high there are a
large number ready to go into any
thing, and they are just as ready to sell
out and change to something else when
prices are low; and as high prices near
ly always stimulate production, there
is rather more risk with hogs than any
other class of stock, because they can
be made to increase so rapidly and ma
ture ready for market in a less time
than any other class of farm stock.
Like sheep, there are but few farms
where more or less hogs can not be
kept with profit, while on the other
hand there are but few farms or farm
ers that either of these two classes of
stock should be kept exclusively. On
many farms a good plan of manage
ment is to breed the SOW to farrow two
litters of pigs in a year-one early
in the fall, so that they can secure
vigorous, thrifty growth before
cold weather, and the other in the
spring. The spring litters should be
depended upon to make the farmers
meat, and the surplus can be marketed
either on foot when fat, or as cured
meat later on after butchering. The
fall litters, if kept growing during the
winter, can be made ready for market
late in the spring or early summer. Of
course the growth and fattening must
be pushed from the start, in order to
realize the best profit. If this is done,
with good management hogs will gen
orally be found profitable. But the
average farmer will find it best not to
attempt to keep too many or to make
too much of speciality, espe cially
when it is done simply because good
prices have prevailed for time.-Farm
and Ranch.