Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1900-09-26
AGRICULTURAL BULLETIN.
Interesting Letters from Hancock
County Farmers,

hbsVh Csttu& LtttcES IfOuI IlaucOcH
County Farmers.
Bulletin No. 6, OF the State hoard oil
agriculture for the season of 1900, con.
tains the following interesting letters
from Hancock county farmers:
BLUEHILL-We firmly believe that no
animal on The farm has been more abused
than the hog. People have acquired some
ideas about swine raising that are bad for
the hog, bad for the manure heaps where
be has been forced to live, bad for his
owners pocket, and above all, bad for the
consumer Of pork. One OF these ideas
Is that hog is naturally a filthy animal,
and another is that grain, usually corn,
Is the hogs proper food. / think no
breed OF swine is 40 well adapted TO
the requirements of the Maine farm as
the Chester. Other breeds have mucn to
commend them, but the Chesters are
very near ne ideal hog. They are thrifty
and good feeders, they develop a large
rugged BODY aud fatten readily on the
cheap feeds grown on the farm, and it Is
only by this method OF feeding that we
can make the business profitable. l
like to give breeding hogs the run
OF good pasture or lot in summer,
and in winter keep them in a clean, dry
pen, and feed vegetables with little
crn. l like to breed SO that pigs will
come in April and September, or as near
those months as possible, as then the
spring pigs do not come until cold
weather Is over and get a good start before
hot weather sets in, and the fall pigs
make good growth before cold weat her
and can be made ready for market early
In the winter. l have found that the
most profita BILE method of marketing is to
cut up the pork and cure 1t so that it may
bring The hig hest price, and sell direct to
the consumer. Either he orchard or the
pasture is a good place for hogs. like a
small, movable yard, with not more than
two or three pigs i'll it. l put them on a
piece OF rough ground and they dig out
the rocks and level off the knobs. II the
dressing Of he different animals is mixed
together it will be better for it to keep
the hogs off from it, and it has been
proved that the hogs will make better
growth with the same food when kept
clean and comfortable.
H. B. GRAY.
DEER IsLE-In this section the family
pig is the only one in evidence, as a rule,
and the few who have tried swine breed
ing have generally given it up within a
year or two as Improbable. Think SUI
icient care is not taken to ensure clean
illness, in many cases. Pigs would keep
clean il they had any facilities for that
purpose, and il they could be pastured
where there was a brook to bathe in,
have no doubt but that it would be a
great Improvement on the close yard in
which they are generally confined. | be-
lieve they should have clean, fresh food,
to make the meat wholesome.
X. s. WARREN.
SEDGwICK-I do not think there is
much profit in raising swine il you have
to buy what they eat. Mine do the best
fed on fine feed cooked, until l want to
fatten them, then corn meal. think the
pig in the orchard and manure shed Is a
great benefit to the manure and orchard.
A. H. DoRITY.
ELLSWORTH think we should plan to
get a good breed Of hogs, as we do to have
good cattle, horses, sheep or any other
farm stock. On our farm we were salts
fed to keep hogs from twelve to Gig ut cen
months, and have them weigh three hun
dred pounds. But We have learned better.
Last fall we had pair of pigs from stock
farm in Nebraska. We were tod TO feed
them very moderately, and we thought
we did, but they grew so fast and took on
fat 80 easily that before We knew it they
were IF their feet We shortened the
feed stnl more and gave them a larger
chance to run, and they came out all rig hit.
They are jet black with white feet and a
little white in the face. We could easily
have made them weigh three hundred
pounds or more when eight months old
JAMES L. CUsHMAN.
Note-Iour pigs show the characteristics of
the berkshire. Ii Is one OF the best of breeds
for average work.-Secretary
BRooKsvILLE-Tne hest breed of pigs
for me is the White Chester, as this breed
makes quick growth. l keep one pig all
the time, and part OF the time two, kilt
Ing them when eigh ut months old. l keep
them in the basement, on the dressing
from the horses. There is not enough
pork raised in this town to supply our
hnme market think tbera ia m in,
raising pork il one can raise his own feed
for growing them, and only buy corn for
fattening. l.. Z. ROBERTS.
SEDGwICK-The only practicable way
that l have found to eXterminate the
brakes in our old rocky pastures is by
turning in the hogs early in the season
and keeping them there until late.
P. B. FRIEND.