Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1894-02-02
Raising of Hog

.. 0OttTuOEs
Raising of Hogs.
The st. Paul Pioneer Press has of late
been publishing some interesting argu-
ments in behalf of diversified farming.
The articles r addressed particularly
to the farmers of North Dakota and
Minnesota, and their perusal will be
attended with profit to the North Dakota
farmer. The latest article is from the
pen of Gen. Mark D. Flower, and tends
to show that there is profit in the raising
of hogs. General Flower furnishes areu-
Yments and statistics as follows:
In Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and South
ern Minnesota, when the farmers from
sheer exhaustion were driven to abandon
exclusive wheat production, their pros
perity began. The farmer must not aban-
don wheat raising entirely, but he must ex-
ercise a trile of the good sense he is usually
supposed to possess, and diversity accord
ing to the peculiar circumstances of his
case, raising 50, go or perhaps 70 per cent.
of his former acreage, while turning his
attention to other lines-live stock, dairy
products and other things. according to
SlANuuuouduCCos 1AClC 10 oil lIICtOChUle
economic law that he must not violate with
impunity and expect nature to reward him:
he must not continuously, year by year,
raise wheat on the same soil, without rest
or recuperation, and expect good results.
urgent is conceded, and this naturally
raises the inquiry, what can the farmer in
the wheat belt substitute for wheat?
Without npip,r soto thu orc;Ioro$; - 20 49,,
long list Of products that may
probably be substituted, we simply
name the hog. There is no product Of
ter price. The hog is a staple article that
always commands the market price in
cash. The farmer who is provided with
can produce two crops of hogs each year.
With Tat merchantable hogs he can turn
them into cash any month of the year. The
hog will consume the waste product of the
farm n return money for it; in a word,
the hog is the farmers friend and he only
requires reasonable care to trebly recon-.
nense him for every outlay of time or
money. The usual American opinion is
that hogs cannot be successfully produced
outside of the 'corn belt" We say Ameri-
can opinion because hogs have been raised
in Europe and Canada and other countries
without corn for more than a hundred
years, being successfully fed and fattened
on barley, rye and peas. Within the past
two years many successful experiments
have been had in Northern Minnesota and
North Dakota with wheat feeding, the
hogs so fed commanding the top of the
market at South st. Paul, and yielding a
L fro otso on ohox,o on NOV oork 80 obosoo 400
which is from 5 to 6 per cent. greater than
results from corn feeding. Apparently
cholera and other fatal hog diseases that
hog fed upon wheat, barley or peas.
In northern climate above the corn belt
where corn is not at hand for food. A
reasonable intelligence must be observed
in preparing the feed. In feeding wheat,
wheat screenings, barley, rye or other
small grain, it is necessary to either or ind
the grain or soak it in water until it is suf-
ficiently softened to render mastication
easy and certain. During the growing
period (spring, summer or fall) the hog
may, with profit, be permitted to roam at
will in the pasture, where he will thrive
splendidIy on clover or alfalfa. If the
pasture has never been sOwn to tame
grasses, a small ration OF grain or the skim
milk or other waste food Of the farm will
keep the young stock hogs in fine
growing condition untilth fattening time.
Cool fall weather is the time to push
the growth and fattening of hogs at low
cost. Hogs may be readily fattened with
out corn. Wheat will fatten hogs very
rapidly, but to lessen the waste;i it is best
to soak it at least twelve hours before
| feeding. thus making it much easier to
mastlcate and to digest. If barley is used
as food, the same rule of soaking applies.
A mixture of soaked or ground wheat and
barlev is exceedingly good food. Imma-
ture corn also makes good food, though in
feriOr to either wheat or barley. Wheat
contains a larger percentage Of poteiE, or
fcsh-forming food than either corn, oats
or barley. Prof. Robertson Of the Ontario