The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-12

greater than its value would be when
transformed into pork. Therefore, to
make the growing of hogs profitable,
something other than grain must be
brought into use as growing, and, to
some extent, as fattening ration. Just
what this shall be is a matter that must
be determined by each individual farm
er, as the condition for the successful
growing of the various food crops vary,
even on adjoining farms sometimes In
my own experience / have found that
COW peas and sweet potatoes make a
combination that is hard to beat, both
in cheapness and in fattening value. 1t
is true that grain (oats) is included in
this ration, but my method of growing
and feeding them renders them COM
paratively easy when their value in
the better growth of young stock is
considered. With me the only cost OF
growing oats is the seed and planting,
as l allow the hogs to do their own
harvesting. Really, when handled in
| this way ii would be impossible for
me to grow any other crop of equal
value at less cost. The hogs can be
| turned on the oats the last of May,
which is at least one month earlier than
any other crop can be used. BY the
| time the oats have been consumed the
COW peas are ready and then in sue
through the entire summer and early
fall; or until the sweet potatoes are
ready. While feeding on the sweet
potatoes l give daily a small allowance
of corn, and when the potatoes are
consumed the hogs are ready for mar
ket, and sell as corn fed" which they
really are.
In addition to all this do not forget
to look well to the comfort of the hogs
in the matter of plenty of pure wa
| ter, proper safeguards against dis
ease and means of retreat from the ex-
| tremes of weather. In the way of med
| ical treatment, both as a preventive
| and cure, have found nothing so good
as the following: Gentian, sulphate of
iron, sulphur, each forty parts; sui
| plate of soda, anthony, valerian, each
| twenty parts; f1axseed, rosin, each 100
parts; fungigreek juniper berries, lie
| orice root, each 20 parts. Feed this
medicine once a week in the swill at
the rate of one teaspoonful to each
hog. regardless of age or size. This
| treatment is intended as a preventive.
When hog is actually sick. then the
dose should be one teaspoonful three
times day until better; very young
hogs. in proportion, of course.
With this treatment carefully follow
| ed seldom have a sick hog except
| from accidental cause In case of n
sudden and violent outbreak of chol-
| era, half teaspoonful of pure car
bollc acid added to each dose of this
| remedy, until three doses have been
given, will save 80 out of every 100
| SICK hogs, If given before the animal
| is so far gone as to refuse to eat; and
even then, if you can get the medi-
| cine down them without strangling t
| will save most of them. This is not
| a mere theory; it is solid facts, back
q hNrx -
l have lost very few hogs, while all
around cholera was sweeping the coun-
| try. Now in regard to the system which
L have described of growing and fat
| tening hogs, / want to say that this
plan is of course, only suited to those
who have plenty of land cheap in COM
| mercial value. Where land is limited
and possesses high selling or rental
| value, very much doubt If hog rails
| ing on commercial scale can be made
| to pay in the South. That is, L think
something else could be made more
profitable in such localities. This whole
| question, as l have disclosed it, has
no reference whatever to the matter
OF growing pork on the farm for fam
lily or plantation use, as the plan
| which l have outlined is not intended
Tor the farmer who only keeps few
| hogs. But after all that I have said,
there is still another point of great
| Importance to be considered, and that
is the proper selection of breed
quick growth and early fattening
are very essential points to be con-
s1dered. | have found that the best
strains of the Cheshire Whites supply
these conditions in a highly satisfac-
tory degree. although they are not gen.
e1aily credited with the possession of
| these qualities. But they have great
length and that is what is needed in a
| commercial hog. The Poland Chinas
| grow rapidly ands fatten early, but
their heads and tails are located too
near each other. I am aware there is
much being said against the white hog
or the South, but he stands the rack
| ct IN Louisiana, turns up his nose at
not weather ar urns up his toes at
| the slaughter hCu,e to the tune of $50
to $50 pounds at six to eight months
cd. But as in other points, the indiyid-
ual farmer must decide this point for
himself. There is much said about the
market demanding smaller hog. but
L md that the butcher keeps his eve
on the big hog" and. have never vet
been told that my hogs were too big.