Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1897-05-21
FARMER AND PLANTER
The SWINE PEN.
A Few Hints on the Growing and Feeding
of Hogs.

feeding hogs, We seldom know man
who, having once learned it, quit the
business, but followed it more or less,
generally more, all his life. There
seems to be no work on the farm that
affords such genuine satisfaction as
the ripening of a bunch of good hogs
in the fall Hogs that have always
been kept thrifty, not fat and for such |
length of time as to build up good,
strong frame, will, when put on full
feed in the fall, lay on flesh very rap |
idly. This putting on full feed when
not properly done, is often attended
with serious re suits. Too many pigs
are kept on strictly squealing rations
all summer, but when corn is ready to
feed they are suddenly changed to all
of this they will eat They try to sat
isfy their unnatural appetite by gorg-
ing themselves TO the utmost. The re-
suit is that the digestion is so impaired
that they are about worthless for
profitable feeding.
The change from feeding for growth
to feeding for flesh should be so grad
ual that neither the feeder nor the pig
could tell just where the grass and
slops We're left off and the full feeding
of corn began. The man who, having
hogs that have been fed for growth all
summer, and can in u reasonable time
bring them up to feed on the new corn
without getting one "off" may consider
himself passably good feeder. | be-
lieve that feeding fattening hogs
oftener than twice day on corn is not
only waste of time and feed, but
real injury to them. If hog be given
a feed of corn in the morning, slaugh-
tered at noon and the contents of the
stomach examined, it will be found
hat filed with masticated corn still
undigested. At evening it will not be
more than empty and the digestion
ready to use n fresh supply. Even
when fed twice day they should be
given all they will eat up clean before
leaving it, and no more. "The hog has
an appetite beyond his power of diges-
ton"
Any practical feeder need not be told
that If hogs have corn by them all the
time they soon become stalled and
do not eat nearly us much per day as if
fed just what they want twice day.
More than all, what they do eat is not
well digested and assimilated. 1t is
not what a hog eats but what he di-
gests, that makes pork. Hogs when
fed should be watched for few min
utes to see If they all come TO their
feed. If each one comes quickly to his
feed and bites off his corn vigorously,
he is all right. But il he comes up
slowly and smells around before taking
bite or takes a few bites and then
goes away, he needs looking after.
The trouble usually comes from over
feeding or may be from want of some
thing to regulate digestion, mot liver
pills." but salt, charcoal, wood ashes,
etc, which should always be supplied
in abundance. 1t is best to have lot
of the mixture placed in box under
cover where they can get IL when
. they want it, which will be
quite often. Some coal is also
good for them, owing to the sulphur in
it. This watching and supplying every
want is the secret of the success of the
"lazy man who sits on the.fence TO sec
them cat" They should always be
supplied with an abundance of pure
fresh water. 1t is astonishing how
much water hog will drink when Oh
full feed.
The question now is, at what age il
it most profitable to sell our hogs? i
has been proven time and again tina
the younger the pig is the more HI
makes out of feed consumed; that each
day added to his life increases the cos
the sooner he can be made to reach Is,
to 200 pounds, the cheaper it will b.
done. Farmers reach their conclusion
in "a general way" and not from actua
experiment For data in this matter
to reach conclusions in any way salts
factory, we must refer TO the results
obtained by the cxperimenteis a
the stations. There is no doub
IN my mind of the ability o
the farmer to obtain better result
than the experimenters Mt the stations
because they (stations) are limited I,
certain foods fed to animals in conine
ment, while the farmer can give
greater variety Of feed and allow al
needed exercise.
Now will give detailed statemen
of account had in feeding two-grad
Poland-China pigs which bought OF
the 18th day of December, 1888, AM
sold on the Dist of February following
was at that time living in Ohio:
10 first cost 40 pounds at five cents .. .s7(
Drayage on pigs. ........................
Corn and mill feed, Observation-Disclosures. 81
Total cost. .........................Sl $40
BY 200 pounds 81 AZ cents ................ II :
Net profS. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 1
The pigs were fed 70 days and game
70 pounds each in that time. The cor
cost me 80 cents per bushel at the mi
and / paid drayage on all | fed.
scalded the chop, but fed the corn DIR
in the ear. 1t will'b seen from tn
: above that the pigs cost me cents DE
; pound when bought them, and &c
only AZ cents per pound when sol
them, the price of hogs having gon
= down, which was arare thing at TIL
time | sold them. Istill clared 80 cent
: on each pig and only fed 70 days. Coul
, l have got the same price per poun
, for them that paid, l should hay
cleared just two dollars on each PHI
: The pigs had no milk fed them, br
!, had the Stops fed them warm. 1t wi
be seen that the feed corn, chop an
: BRAN cost me $337 which would |
about equal to 1914 bushels of corn ;
:. 80 cents bushel, and the gain bein
$50 pounds, equal to about 1879 pount
gain to the bushel fed, but III
kitchen Stops should have some credi
1t is generally considered thata hog G
full feed should gain from 10 to
pounds to the bushel of corn consumes
] but, brother farmers and feeders, yc