The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-09-25
Live Stock.
PUMPKINS AS FOOD FOR HOGS.

5 More Facts to Remember in Hog Fattening.
The question of cheap and health
full food for hogs is a subject of vast
importance to the South.
No other country on the globe pre-
sents as many advantages for the
production of cheap and palatable
bacon, pork and hams as are found
in the Southern portion of the United
States. Many able writer's have
from time TO time pointed out these
facts in iwell-written articles.
The object of this article is not to
traverse the ground already covered
by others while treating this subject.
The purpose is to call attention to a
new feature in raising hogs so as to
secure cheap and rapid growth and,
at the same time, insure perfect
health by fitting the hog to resist
disease. To accomplish these results
there is no other single food or CON-
binatiOn of foods that equal the
pumpkin.
For some unaccOuntable reason
the hog is subject to numerous in
testinal arrangements, often attended
by fatal results and ~incalculable loss
to hog raisers. In a majority Of
cases hog disease arise from some of
the numerous forms of intestinal
parasites, such as stomach, intestine,
rectal and kidney worms, causing
laxity or constipation of the bowels
and general arrangement of the en-
tire system.
A liberal use of pumpkins as food
will rid the hog of allintestinal para
sites, regulate the kidneys, tone the
bowels, add a rapid growth to the hog
and place it in the best of order to
resist disease.
Pumpkins may be fed to hogs
either raw or cooked with good re-
suits. If fed raw a liberal quantity
should be given, so as to keep a
goodly amount broken up ahead, so
they can begin to dry and cause fer
mentation to set in. In this condi-
ton hogs are more fond of them and
will eat a surprising amount OF them
with impunity and put on a more
rapid growth than from any other
food.
Some contend that pumpkin seeds
cause impactiOn of the stomach, but
such a result is impossible, and no
one need hesitate to give hogs free
access to all the seeds contained in
the pumpkins if the hogs also have
free access to the pumpkins.
In cooking pumpkins they may be
steamed or boiled. If too much slOp
is not left in, cooked pumpkin will
form Il large amount of flesh as we'll
as bone and muscle. For this result
cook the Juice down to the minimum.
When the value of the pumpkin is
fully known in the South and is ex-
tensively used, it will become the
leading factor in the production of
hog products in the United States.
There are so many varieties of this
invaluable food product, some early |
and some of bookkeeping qualities,
hat the South is able to have pump
kins to feed during the entire year,
thus producing the cheapest pork
and securing the healthiest hogs in
the world. Here is an advantage
which, if utilized, would place the
South in leading competition in the
hog markets of America and in con-
troll of the bacon markets of Europe.
The great hog belt of the North
west lacks the means possessed by
the South for preserving healthy
herds. In the Northwest the long
keeping pumpkin cannot be raised,
and the early varieties ripen only
about the time frOsts set in so there
is out a few weeks in which they can
be made use of.
The yield of the pumpkin r is
immense and can be produced alone
Or with corn, sorghum or potatoes
Lumber, brick and stone are cbean
and easily produced in the South. so
that frost proof storage houses can
be had for storing the crop at a
nominal cost.
It will also be found that when
hogs have been we'll expanded by p
free use of pumpkins that the corn
used to harden them off with, pre-
paratory to slaughtering, will have
a greater feeding value than when