Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1901-11-08
agricultural.
Raising and Feeding Hoe..

In order to be able to feed hogs profit
ably, 1t is necessary that they possess
s'rong and healthy bodies These can
best be obtained by using only healthy
and vigorous animals for breeding stock
and also by feeding the young pigs Oh
variety Of feeds the first four or i've
months Select such feed as is espe-
cially rich in protein in order to build
up the muscles and real meat Of the
body. and also develop a strong bony
framework. For young pigs no feed is
better than skim milk and middlings.
Such feed can usually be obtained at
little expense, especially in the districts
where diversified farming is practiced.
1t is generally advisable to give hogs a
variety Of other feeds, such as gluten
meal, bran, barley, oats, etc. II de-
sired, corn can be used to some extent,
but for very Young pigs it should not
exceed oDe-third of the grain ration.
If they are kept on q good pasture il
may possibly consist of one-half For
fattenings hogs, corn leads other grains
for mere increase in weight and can
very probably be fed in large quanti-
ties, having one-half to three-fourths of
the entire grain ration consist of corn
or cornmeal
When feeding hogs for family use,
would, however, recommend giving bar
ley to large extent in place of corn.
Barley-fed pork is of a better quality
than that made from corn. The Danish
and Canadian farmers have proved the
superior quality of this grain for max
ing fine bacon The barley should be
ground fine and soaked from six to
twelve hours before feeding. If skim
milk is available, better results are OBJ
tanned by soaking the grain in the milk
than by feeding each separately. Some
years ago fed lot Of hogs about five
months old. mainly on barley and skim
milk and they gained nearly ~ pounds
daily for several weeks, but they had
been previously kept on a very small
grain ration. They were. however, in
good condition to lay on flesh rapidly,
being healthy and active. having the
range of pasture. although the grass
in it was of a poor quality
A good pasture should be available,
as it will furnish large amount OF
cheap feed, and it is especially necessary
for the development Of strong, healthy
bodies Glover and bluegrass make the
standard pasture for hogs. but where
they are uncertain, a rye pasture can
always be relied upon. Oats and peas
sown together, barley and dwarf essex
rape, etc can also be made to furnish
good pasture Where swine cannot have
a good pasture, they should be fed
liberal.supply of roots. pumpkins, squash
or potatoes, preferably cooked, but if
chopped up finely and Little middlings
or ground feed added. hogs will eat
them readily. It is not necessary to
feed any large variety Of feed at one
time, but it should be remembered that
a variety of feeds gives better results
than one kind only. However. it is not
advisable to mix more than two or three
kinds of feed together at one meal
Never feed hogs more than they will
eat up clean aud come back with keen
appetite for the next meal.
Some will object to the method of
feeding advised in this article on 40.
count Of it not being as cheap as an ex-
elusive corn diet. To this l will say
that believe giving swine variety of
feeds, rather than an exclusively corn
diet, will be found the cheapest in the
end. While preference should gener-
ally be given to the cheapest feed, yet
| believe the loss from hog cholera and
other diseases among swine fed exclu-
sively on corn, more than Offsets the
added cost of feeding variety Of other
grains. While it is true that feeding on
corn only does not cause cholera, yet it
makes swine an easy prey to cholera
and other diseases. through the weaken
ed condition of their constitution. This is
fully proven by the fact that where corn
is fed in small quantities ONLY, hog
cholera very seldom occurs as an cpl
demic. Salt should always be available
for hogs, as it will aid digestion. A
liberal supply of charred corn cobs
should also be furnished, especially
when the animals are not kept on pas
ture Il. D. f., in American Agricul-
turist.