The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1899-06-03

Cern g Hog Tssd. n
There Ii no doubt that corn Ii one
OF the most valuable plants In the
world, but it has been too largely FED
to our hogs. The foreign market il
demanding Danish and Canadian ba-
con and hams, because the foreigners
declare that our hams and bacon are
too soft and oily, due to the feeding Of
too large proportion Of corn. Lately
tho Danes have begun to feed Ameri-
can corn to their hogs and now tho
English market is complaining that
Danish pork products are deteriorat-
ing. It Is no use to attempt to make
people believe that hogs grown en-
tirely on corn produce as good meat
as those hogs that have a fair supply
! Of clover, peas, oats and other nitrog-
| enous feeds. Even our home market
discriminates quite sharply in favor Of
lean and compact meat. Yet it is diff
cult to get bacon, ham or 'loins that
are lean enough. ~
It is perhaps unfortunate that tho
big buyers Of hogs do not discrini-
nate more sharply on the animals they
buy. The fact that a corn fattened
| animal sells at the same price as an
| animal fattened on other foods makes
the grower careless. But it is reason
able to suppose that this carelessness
ultimately reacts against the interests
OF the hog producer. Can we suppose
that hundred generations of hogs, all
fed and fattened on corn, will have the
vitality of a hundred generations fed
| on heterogeneous foods? It has been stat
ed by horsemen that heterogeneous foods
increases the breeding powers Of ami
mails. It may or may not be true, but
1t is easy for us to believe that kind
OF food that produces a strong, vigor-
GUS animal will give greater vitality
and greater breeding power than food
that makes sluggish habits only pos
sible.
From what we know of the methods
OF feeders we believe that the more
advanced swine raisers have long since
taken this view of the case. We believe
that most men that make q business
of breeding sires and sows to place at
the heads of herds have abandoned
the practice Of overlooking with corn.
If We do not figure on the production
OF more compact meat and a harder
fat we are pretty sure to find our for
eign market begin to slip away from US
in the same manner as the cheese
market slipped away.
Early Lambs for Market.
At the meeting of the Continental
Dorset Club recently held at Colum-
bus, Ohio, Mr.. H. P. Miller said that
producers of early lambs have discov-
cred that it is possible to have them
arrive too soon for the demand, which
outside Of New York is not large be-
fore the middle of January or the first
OF February, when early dropped lambs
are too big to suit the buyers. He has
found no breed except Merinos and
.Dorsets which could be relied upon to
produce early lambs. Mutton breeds
will not breed uniformly in time. He
doesn't have the lambs come until after
the ewes go into the barn for winter.
This because of parasites, which are
likely to infest the lambs with even a
few days of pasture. His experience is
that the parasites multiply within the
animal. He considers silage necessary
to the production of baby mutton. Has
used it now for three winters, and it
is the best feed he has found to pro-
duce large flow of milk for the lambs.
Glover hay must go with it. The
lambs are started on cracked corn, but
after a while whole corn and oats are
fed. Gluten meal is satisfactory sub
stitute for bran, it is sprinkled on sill
age. Wood ashes and salt mixed half
and half are kept before the lambs at
all times: Furnish plenty OF good
water. Glover hay is furnished, and
after the ewes and lambs have picked
out what they want the remainder is
fed to the horses, which clean it up.
Ewes are fed silage, gluten meal and
clover hay twice day. At this meet
ing various methods of reviving chilled
lambs were discussed. Where badly
chilled it was agreed that hot water is
the most satisfactory. For those in
which signs of life are still visible
burying in the manure heap, thrusting
into a box of bran, or putting into a
barrel partly filled with straw and
covered with burlap we're recommend
ed.
Feeding at Milking Time.-We often
hear discussion in dairy conventions
as to whether COW should be fed
when she is being MIXED. No doubt
it is true that ii she will yield her milk
readily without feed, such is the best
method to pursue. But this is q ques
ton that does not admit always of
categorical answer. We have known
cows who had the bad habit of bold
ing up their milk and the only possible
way to get them to give it down was
to put some feed before them. The act
OF feeding seemed to take the mind of
the cow out OF the stubborn mood it
was in. In such cases. at least, it was
a success to feed while Milking
Hoard's Dairyman. ~ .-~z