The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-02-07
Profitable Pork Making.

L ~ SloWilS 1olu0o ohS oopJS0o VI
some recent questions and answers be-
tween O Tennessee man and Waldo
Brown, in the New York Tribune.
Said the former: "I have a farm Of
two hundred acres, keep from forty to
sixty acres in grass, and a fine brook
runs through it. There is always a
ready sale for hogs on foot, and they
are about the only thing we can pro-
duce for which we do not have to look
for a market. We wish to improve
our stock. What shall we buy, Berk-
shire or Poland China ? We think of
buying a SOW in pig, and boar not
akin, registered stock, for start.
What would I have to pay for pure
bred stock, and on what terms is it
sold ?"
The answer came thus: For several
years past I have been impressed with
the fact that to the man who would
manage intelligently money-making
business could be established in the
production Of pig pork. The best
success would be attained by keeping
a dairy and selling butter or cream
and feeding the milk to the pigs, but
I have proved by repeated experin. ent
that fine, thrifty pigs can be put on
the market at six months old without
milk by feeding on slop made of bran
and oatmeal. I sold pigs in 1892 at
Al months old, averaging ITO pounds,
that had been raised on this food.
The brook running through the pas
ture is an advantage, providing it does
not become a source Of contagion but
if cholera prevails in the locality the
virus is likely to be carried by the
water to farms below.
AS to breeds, I have been familiar
with most of the leading kinds and
have lived for forty-fve years in the
Miami Valley, where the famous Po-
land China hogs originated and proba-
bly, no other station in Ohio has ship
ped SO many breeding hogs as Oxford.
I believe that as now perfected there
is no better breed of hogs than this in
Ohio or in the United States, and if 1
was starting in the business Of pig
pork production I should certainly use
thoroughbred Poland China sows, but
would use Berkshire sire. These
crossbred pigs must not, however, be
used as breeders, as their offspring
will not be uniform in character; but
brood sows can be kept for five years
or more, and thus new lot procured.
For early maturity use old sows and
young sires. Teach the pigs to eat by
the time they are four weeks old, and
wean at eight weeks, by which time
they will be eating so that they will
not miss the mothers milk. Breed
the sows for two litters year, and
feed them well so as to keep them in
good flesh, but never winter brood
sows on corn. Feed roots largely if
you can grow them. Beets are best,
but turnips will answer, and l believe
sweet potatoes could be proAtably
grown in Tennessee for this purpose,
feeding the culls and selling the better
ones, but if roots cannot be had feed
bran mostly. If SOW is bred for her
first litter to be dropped at one year
old, do not breed her soon again, but
let her have that year for growth and
drop her second litter at two years old.
After that breed regularly for two
litters each year as long as she does
well. You must have good fences to
control these old sows, for there is no
animal more likely to break through a
fence than an old sow in heat.
I hardly know what the cost would
be of registered pigs, but think good
ones could be bought at from $40 to
$25 each-this for pigs six months
old. There would h. a saving in ex-
press, as well as first cost, to ship
pigs soon after weaning-say at ten
weeks old.