Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1901-10-31
DAIRY AND POULTRY.
INTERESTING CHAPTERS FOR OUR
RURAL READERS.
How Successful Farmers Operate This
Department of the Farm-A Few
Hints as to the Care of Live Stock
and Poultry.
Autumn Feeding.


When a starving man is taken out Of
boat in midocean he is hungry. The
folk who rescue him have abundance
of food and wealth of sympathy, but
they have also a proper amount or
common sense resulting from expert
ence. The hungry man does not pos
sess this common sense; he would
gorge himself If allowed to do so. The
rescuers are kind folk but they seem
cruel when out of their abundance
they allow him but meager meal.
They know, however, that full feed
ing would injure the starving man
experience has taught them the neces-
sity and advantages Of going slow"
Is not this somewhat akin to circum-
stances and facts attending the fall
feeding Of swine? This year there are
many hungry hogs. They have Jared
sparingly for months, but rescuing
rains came lately and food has been
furnished at the later day when hope
had about vanished in many localities.
The hog would naturally hog" him
self If allowed to get at all the food
his appetite could dispose of, but 1t
would be as unsafe for the hog to gorge
himself as for the starved sailor
man suddenly surrounded with plenty.
And yet there will be lots OF this dan
gerous "stufiing" with new feed this
fall. 1t is a process of running hogs
that goes on unchecked every fall. In
average years when corn is plentiful
1t is followed worse than will be the
case this autumn when corn in many
districts is somewhat of luxury. But
despite the fact that corn is scarce
there is doubtless some food that the
owner of hogs will feel that he can
now spare in large quantities to make
up for the lack Of food during the
dry months when pastures were with
cred and other foods scarce and high
priced. Such food will give by far
the best results IL 1t Is fed in small
quantities at first and gradually in
creased in amount after the swine be-
come accustomed to 1t. At the same
time the best results are to be had
each year when the corn is balanced
with other rations to make complete
food for the young hogs. They re-
quire all the constituents Of food that
go to form bone and blood and muscle.
II they are given all the young corn
they can eat the first result will be
to set up Indigestion and where this
takes place the food does not give the
desired gain Of weight daily. II the
corn does not cause indigestion and
the hog commences to assimilate 1t
thoroughly and consequently put on
weight fast that is no proof that the
corn is doing the work expected OF It.
1t is making lots of fat before the
young animal has a frame to carry
the weight safely and the result In
many cases is that the bones being
weak the legs give" at the ground
and the pig Walks upon It's pastern
joints. If, on the other hand, the hog
be gradually accustomed to the album
dant food supply of fall and the corn
be mixed with due proportion of nj
trogenous food such as skim milk,
ground middlings. barley, oats, bran,
oilmeal or any of the other grain foods
and products along with clover hay
there will be produced healthy, nor
mally strong and fully developed frame
and supply Of muscle and blood which
will enable the animal to lay on fat
later on without sickness or accident
We are fully convinced that while the
pig is kept growing from weaving time
to winter feeding there need be no ap-
pearance of fat apout 1t. The main
thing is to encourage the growth Of
frame, large digestive organs, fully ex-
ercised lungs. ample supply Of healthy
blood and disposition to hustle rather
than loaf and sleep. Given this kind
OF young hog as the result OF judicious
fall feeding and there is little diff
Guilty or danger in placing 1t later
upon a full feed of corn and 1t is this
kind Of hog that returns the largest
return of gain for amount of food con-
sumed. We must be excused for drum
ming this advice into the young be-
ginners so persistently. but we shall
continue to do so until the idea be-
comes generally accepted as correct.
Already the results Of the discussion
of this subject of hog growing and
feeding along sensible lines are seen
in the general interest taken in the
publications of the various agricultural
experiment stations regarding swine
experiments which a few years ago
were apt to be considered needless and
uninstructive. 1t has also led to
general inquiry regarding the i'm
provement Of brood sows and methods
by which filters may be increased and
more milk furnished for their nourish-
ment