Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1898-09-29
4FIIi III. NO.
TUE VARYING SIZE OF LITTERs.

TUE VARYING SIZE OF LITTERS.
In breeding hogs it Is a great
advantage to select SOW that Is
able to produce a large litter. IL
Ia the misfortune Of close in and
In breeding, which seems peces-
sary to produce fineness OF bone,
that It also tends to shorten the body
aad lessen the capacity OF the SOW TO
either produce or care for large III
ter. There are always fewer teats on
n short-bodied SOW than there are on
one that has been so fed as to make
long and rangy growth. Quite often
tho small, short-bodied SOW, II not TOO
highly fed will produce more pigs
than she has teats. II, however, she
is fed principally on corn, she VIII
have fewer pigs than teats, and usu-
ally one, two or more OF the litter Will
be runts and not worth raising
These teatmcn, as they arc called are
mere common with spring filters,
when the milk supply is cut on and
corn Is the principal article OF diet.
Fall filters especially II during the
summer the SOW has run to pasture,
with daily feed OF milk or wheat
middlings, usually bring filters OF
lont- bodied and rangy pigs, which II
properly fed will make excellent
breeders.
1t too often happens, however, that
the fall narrowed pigs are put out on
an exclusive diet of corn, which clogs
their stomachs and thus prevents the
proper development OF their frames.
If milk cannot be had In winter,
give the young pigs and breeding
sows diet OF fine wheat mlddlings,
made into swill with dish washings,
II moro Ia needed let the pigs and
breeding sows have access to clover
hay. Although the stomach of the
hog IL small, It will, for non-rumlnant,
eat n surprising amount OF clover hay.
IL should be cut fine and more or less
of II given daily. Only In the very
coolest weather should any corn be
given, and then only sparingly The
tendency to fntten must be repressed
as much as possible in breeder.
AIter SOW has had one or two lit
ters her digestive organs will be so
much strengthened by the strain upon
them that unless great care Is taken
she will grow too fat to breed well.
Yet the old breeding SOW must have
at all times the material nutrIment In
her feed, which is required to provide
the bone and muscle OF the pigs
which she Is bearing.
II liz the kind rather than the
amount OF nutrition that the SOW gets
which most determine what her pigs
shall be- II It be food that contains
In moderate bulk what IL required to
be In the frames and furnish the ma
terial for the bodies OF eight to eigh-
teen growing pigs they will all be de-
veloped, But among such number
in the uterus some will get the advan-
tage and be more fully developed than
others. There are sure to be some
runts in very large litter. They
should usually be killed ut once. The
extra growth which the other pigs will
mako will more than compensate their
loss. The value of a pig ut birth Is
80 slight that very little extra ad-
vantage from Its destruction more
than repays It's loss. II Is the practice
of many good farmers to kill runt
pigs. We remember an old man who
thought to be reckoned very charlta-
Bile because whenever he had runt
pig he made n present of 1t to some
poor person, who might better have
paid the regular price than to take
runt as u girt.--American Culivator
DAIRY WISDOM.
Never allow heifer calf from n rich
butter COW to be killed as a veal. IL
you do not want her to supply your
own dairy-they are plenty who do.
Calves that are losing the hair about
the eyes may be subject to n mild
form of mango. sulphur and lard
rubbed on the spots occasionally will
effect n cure.
The man who has force, and brains
enough to get a rich butter herd of
cows together and then cares for and
feeds them MS he should, Is on the
high road to success.
II you ARC II dairyman or dairy
woman put your brains, your energy
In It. BE an enthusiast II you can
not, then It Is not the business for
you, and you will not succeed
BE sure that all the fences are up
and strong before stock Is turned out.
1t will prevent the cattle from getting
bad habits impossible to cure and per-
haps an expensive law suit,
BY selling gilt-edged butter Il dairy
man Is not impoyorishing his farm.
He Is selling his crops to his cows at
profit, and returning the manurial
elements to the farm which becomes
more productive every year.
Few remedies for caked udder are