The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1900-04-26
AND GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO
AGRICULTURISTS.
Some Up-tO-Date Hints About Gull
t~ivation of the Soil and Yields
Observation-Disclosures, vitIculture and
Horticulture.

Illinois Swine Breeders association,
will interest many readers:
Thirty years as a breeder of Poland
China Swine has afforded good oppor-
tunity for the study Of some phrases,
at least of swine breeding. During
this time I have become impressed
with the fact that all of us can i'm
prove u methods of caring for the
SOW and litter. If 1 hint of some
things that you are doing which should
not be done, or things that you should
do which you are not doing and sue
coed in getting you to feed and care
for the SOW and pigs the best we
know, then this paper will not have
been in vain.
First: 1 will speak of how the SOW
should be cared for from the time OF
service until pigs are farrowed. At
the time the SOW is bred, she should
be in a thriving condition; not fat,
neither should she be poor, just in
good condition and when known to be
safe in pig she should be kept in as
near the same order up to narrowing
time as she was the day served. And
/ would not feed her too much corn,
to keep up that order, in fact very lit
tie, as too much corn causes too much
heat and will make the SOW very fe-
verish at narrowing time, and more
than likely your corn-fed-soW Will
have milk fever when pigs are about
tw~enty-four hours old, and then starve
the pigs to death. The best feed L
have tried for sows in pig during the
winter months is oats and ship stuff,
equal in bulk, mixed and fed dry in
troughs, and when the ground is frozen
] would add a small handful of oil
meal for each SOW, mixed in with the
oats and ship stuff and fed in the
morning with a little corn at night.
A few days before time for SOW to far
row she should be put by herself where
she will have a good warm house to
farrow in, and should be fed sparingly
with ship stuff made in a thick mash,
with no corn at all.
When she farrows she should not be
fed anything for twenty-four hours
after narrowing, but should have
water, then she can be fed, say not
over a quart of the ship stuff made in
a thick mash and fed morning and
evening. Gradually increase the feed
until you get up to a gallon or more
by the time pigs are two weeks old.
A SOW sucking pigs should never be
fed all she can eat. When the pigs are
four or five days old they should be
taught to follow the SOW out, so they
will get exercise and not become too
fat. When the pigs are about two
weeks old you can safely give the sow
an ear or two of corn each day in con
nection with the ship stuff and can in
crease the corn as the needs of the
SOW require. When the pigs are four
or five weeks old they should have a
trough in a pen where they can go in
from the SOW and be fed some ground
oats and corn. Oats and corn should
be mixed in about equal parts and
ground together very fine. l should
feed this until pigs get old enough to
crack corn and chew it fine enough to
be easily digested. When the weather
gets warmer you can mix the ground
oats and corn with the ship stuff in a
thick slop and give them some in the
pen away from the SOW
Now, we have pigs along where it
is time to try and develop bone and
frame, and many a fine pig has been
ruined when he is about four months
old by his owner wanting him to look
better than any other breeders pig.
Pigs should be fed very carefully until
six months old and never be crowded.
They should be fed for growth and not
for fat, Pigs that are made fat while
young never develop into fine hogs,
in fact pigs should never be fed all
they will eat before they are six
months old, and | have my doubts if
at any time in their life, that is, those
intended for breeders.
Now, in conclusion, / will say, that
SOW and pigs should have the run of
a grass lot and when the pigs are about
three months old they should have the
run of a larger pasture, for exercise is
very ESSENTIAL to the development of
bone and muscle and will help them to
digest what they eat and give them
good appetites to begin with. The pigs
should be kept clean from lice as well
as from mud md other filth. The clean
er we keep our pigs, and the cleaner
we keep their feeding and sleeping
places the better they will do. Some
nay say: why not add a little milk
to the ship stuff for the pigs?" I never
feed what l haven't got.
Heredlty.
OF course the theory of heredity does