The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1901-12-24
AGRICULTURAL.
Feeding and Care Of
Hogs for Market.

The careful selection of breeding
stock is of the utmost Importance and
Is the foundation OF future success.
10 the fall of the year have from
seventy 8 five to eighty shoats that have |
bsen pushed vigorously from birth.
They all run together until December,
when select fifteen or twenty of the
largest, best develooed and best pro-
p,rtioned sows in the entire lot, con-
stantly keeping in mind that the type
OF pig that has made the greatest gain
during the season, under the same con-
ditions as the rest of the herd. is the
type of pig 1 want for breeding pur-
poses.
Two extremes must be avoided in maxi
ing the selection-great length with
dicates a poor feeder and late maturity;
the other is great breadth without cor
responding length, which indicates a
chubby fellow. a good feeder, hut not
results.
After the breeding stock il selected
they are placed in field where they
N have plenty of range, for know Of
or strength of bone for the brood sow
| than abundant exercise. feed these
brood sows with milk. kitchen slnp- and
the surplus vegetables. also literally
l uifh hnt bn. uf1v
the fatiening shoats. Corn 81 d grass
are and will continue TO be the chief
feed and fhe cheapest feed, both sum
mer and winter.
mate nv hogs from December 25 tn
January l A. feeder, in ,he s-l.r.
| tiOn of my breeding -rcck keep "ne
eye ON the individual quality of the ami
NAL and the other on the dem ,nds of
the Chicay. market. care not wh-th-
er the sire belongs to the most fashion
| able families or not. SO that he Is we'll
| bred. good indiv dual. a good feeder
and with n great big hearty appetite.
capable of converting corn into pork
about as fast as you can throw it to
him.
The brood sows must not re stinted
In their feed. There is more danger iu
having them too poor than tOo fat
They must be kept growing all the time
and should not weigh less than 300
pounds at farrowir g time. I am con-
vinced that May, one year with apor b.
er, is the best time for the litters To
come.
There are two things absolutely es-
sentisl to the healthy, vigorous life of
the young pig. These are dryness and
warmth. without which the highest
success 10 point of numbers cam OF be
Obtained.
For a few days after narrowing the
sows are fed lightly on corn and given
water or sweet kitchen slops to drink.
Tnen they are fed heavily and allowed
TO run in the pasture with their pigs.
| consider it serious mistake to allow
the dams to become poor aud emaciated
during the sucking period. There il
no time in the life of the brood SOW that
she needs SO much feed as at this time,
and it is my aim TO feed SO heavily that
there will be as little shrinkage rs pos.
sible, for il costs much more to replace
the lost flesh than it does to retain II
bv good feeding. Not only this, but
there will be much more rapid gain
OF the part of the young pigs because
of increased richness and flow of milk
AS soon as tn young pigs begin to
eat they are fed q little soaked corn il
troughs, placed in q small inclosure
into which the old hogs can not GO
Their feed is gradually increased until
they are fed all the soaked corn and
oats that they will eat up clean, twice
u day, care being used not TO allow the
feed TO sour.
When the pigs are eight or ten weeks
old, The dams are re moved tn another
lot and the pigs left in their old qua
ters until weaving time is over. wh-r
they are again allowed 10 run toge, her
Tlis matter of feeding no more thar
will be- cleaned up At esch mea', and
hut TWO M ais per day. is. in my judg
m-Df, of the greatest Importance. IL
preserving u vigorous and heairhv aD.
petite 20 essential 10 the rapid accumu
IatiOn of fish.
Corn alone. for growing an mails Il
not the best feed. MS 10 is t,H, {. rbnna
ceOus and dos mot supply sufficient
material for growth of frame and lean
meat or muscle. Au abundance Of
grass is. in my opinion, the cheapest
aud b-st food that can be Used Il
balance The corn. IL is time tha,
Oatmeal. bran, shorts. oats or rve may
under some conditions be used in CON
nection with corn protiiahIy. But
do not cOncede that they can he useC
with n much profit as grass or pasture
When say pasture, | mean the clover
timothy or blue grass in such ahun
dance that pig can fill himself IL
short order and not be compeIled u
grsze from the rising until the setting
of the sun and then go home at nigh
so hopelessly discouraged that be ha
no appetite for his evening meal
Many farmers deceive themselves b,
calling lot, bare, with the exception
of few blades of grass and q whole lO
of weeds, as pasture.
In the fall | give my hogs q noon
day meal of pumpkins, which are de-
vOurrd with rs much relish rs are th
pumpkins on our own dinner table.
do not believe that farmers in genera
fully appreciate the value of pumpkin,
fed in connection with corn, as q pro
moter of growth and regul a
or of the digestive system. I hav
found them of much value in promot
ing a healthy appetite. without which