Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1896-04-17

southern Minnesota ldIHhet "iiteo'
1--WE have a farm of 70 acres, most OF
good. tillable land, with southern
one: five acres a steep hillside, with
reek at foot of it. Soil good for corn
hid other grains. Pig is the crop we
ant to raise; shall probably have 70
h June l, and no suitable pasture Is
eady for the coming season. VIII
Theodore Louis please tell us how he
ould manage from the start If this
ere his farm? We want to know how
Ind what to feed (have corn, wheat,
Mats, barley, how to provide pasture
IND a succession of it, how many should
be pastured and housed together, and
Inally how long should corn be fed be-
fore marketing the hogs"
M In answer to this the Farm, Stock
Ind Home says: This correspondent
hoes not state if he has any building FOR
breeding purposes, so as to first care for
Tie advent of rs pigs and their dams.
This would be the first consideration to
ns. Neither does he state whether near
The stream, or to what extent 1t runs
Through the farm, so we are obliged to
leave this important matter out of the
program, though the creek would be
: ource of great convenience and proht
in swine husbandry, especially If aces
$sible from different fields. If the build
%ings are not as yet erected, we Woulo
Mot erect them on the hillside, unless
there was fiat land wide enough to pre-
Went the wash of the manure into the
Greek, since animal husbandry must
include feeding the land as well as the
animals. Feeding large quantities Of
- .fD1 va
Return to the farm would mean eventual
Nature Nor would we convert this
hillside into a permanent pasture fol
hogs, as we would lose during term OF
ears all grain-made manure which
SHOULD be returned to the land that pro
auced it; but would erect the buildings
south of the creek with southern as
Meet to yards and buildings.
& The farm should be well fenced either
With three boards and two wires, or two
Boards and three wires, or one board
three inches high from the ground and
WIRE underneath, and enough wires over
Vic board to restrain the hogs. There
should be at least one division fence, so
rs to use porta BILE fencing for further
division, for pasturage, as the farm
Should carry aside from the hogs al
least four good sows, so as to have some
milk for the pigs. For the first season
if we were sure of rs pigs, we would SOW
Eve acres to a mixture of barley ano
winter rye for pasture, and if we haC
teloVer seed would SOW 1t with the grain
las experience has taught us that tn,
tramping of pigs has proved favorable
ITO a good catch. We would devote 81
ores to corn, ~ to oats and two to field
peas, so as to hog them off with tn
pigs. Alongside of the peas have ont
acre of sweet corn, of early and late
Varieties, so as to feed it stalk and ear,
while the pigs are cleaning the peas
lf barley is a successful crop, we would
Sow the other six acres to barley, and
seed both barley and oats to clover,
n preliminary to further rotation, leaving
one acre for buildings and garden.
We would want to raise at least 100
bushels of mangels for the brood sows
the following winter, calculating tina;
we might exchange the barley to advan
tage for mill feeds, we would be pre-
: pared to do So And no sooner than the
& peas and sweet corn were disposed of
8 we would replow the land and sow 1t
81 to winter rye for fall pasture.
If the sows are due to farrow in
quick succession, as they should be,
AZ you need a breeding pen for each, ks
# feet in size, and the SOW should be fed
Al there and sleep there fortnight before
she farrows, but be given liberty dur
a ing the day with the rest of the herd
the last three days before parturition
& she should be confined to the same pen
n and yard, which she will kindly take to
& as a place where she has been well
M cared for
"A ture age, not less than / year old a
" narrowing time, and it they have beer
. fed on succulent food and their grain
rations have consisted of two parts
"a oats by weight to one of corn and bar
4 ley, there is no trouble to be antici'
n pated, as nature will do her work al
q light. 1t will be different in the future
when these soWs are to farrow in Marcel
or April, as early pigs will be more prof
table The pigs and sows should have
"a the run of one pasture, but both Should
~ be confined to the accustomed yard anC
" pen until the pigs are able to follow her
"a except three or four days after farrow
ing the SOW should be permitted eacl
81 day to have a free run outside of he
yard for an hour or so, to eat grass
the change in her milk will then be NOR
8 gradual. After the pigs are four week
old sows and pigs should be liberall
fed night and morning on a swill con
sisting of ground oats with corn o
barley meal, two parts of oats to on
"A of either of the others, but If shorts ca
81 be had in exchange for oats it woul
q be preferable, and then shell and soa
the corn and feed it scattered on til
floor. The pigs should nurse the SOW
under this liberal system of feeding fo
at least 10 or IL weeks, when they woul
be almost weaned of themselves, as tn
"a sow must stand in the place of the CO.
n on a hog farm.
First, the aim must be to grow tn
81 pig on a heterogeneous food, which Glove
"A and other green pasture would provid
in part, with the before mentione
grains. Exclusive corn feeding shout
not begin earlier than the last go day
and right here the squash mentione
will get in it's best work.
1t is impossible to lay down fixe
rule for feeding, as there are ever col
~ ditions arising that must be observe
and properly treated. There is. hov
ever, this infiexible rule: The amin
must make it's growth on food suite
to that purpose, and overlooking of al
ma kind of food at time of growth