The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-11-28

/ know quite a number of farmers in
my section who keep only two hogs at
a time They buy pair of pigs IN De-
cember or January every year and place
them in a close, well fioored pen, there
to remain until cold weather the next
fall. From small pigs in January they
grow and develop into large fat porkers
at the end of their ten or eleven months
When killed the two hogs will net tor
their owners from 500 to 600 pounds of
meat and lard. Farmers who adopt this
system are men VINO work only a one
or two-horse farm, have but little pas
turage and want to use to best advaL-
tage the refuse about the kitchin and
lot The two pigs put in the pen and
fed and looked after will usually make
enough meat to meet the requirements
OF n small family for another twelve
months. A healthy hog possesses fairly
good digestion and much of the refuse
from the Htchin can be utilized in feed
ing them penned which might otherwise
go to waste Hams cannot now be pur-
chased for less. than 16 to IL cents per
pound. Shoulders IA cents and ordinary
bulk meat to 10 cents. Lard is II
cents. Our people who work on the farm
eat more pork than any other kind OF
meat, but when bought at above prices
for the spot cash, it comes high. Too
high to get any profit out OF farming,
even raising cotton at 10 cents per pound
A great many farmers, especially white
tenant farmers ought 10 ponder over
this matter and get a pair OF pigs IT
they have none.
TWO PIGS IN A PEN.
Two pigs in a pen nicely foored, is
good thing to have on the premises whcn
it means that the next years supply bill
is to be reduced at least two bales of cot,
ton. 1t may not be good thing for the
big western pork growers, but it would
present a shining example of thrift on
many hundred Southern farms, where the
workers now have their snokehouses in
the supply merchantss store. Look around
among your neighbors and find any pros
porous ones farming who buy all their
supplies The prosperous farmers IN
every community have meat in the smoke
house and corn in the crib of their own
raising Those who are IN trouble ARE
always praying for more bales of cotton
TO pay up the accounts they owe in
town Get two pigs and put them in a
pen and ask your wife to help you feed
them. No farmers wife ever failed TO
measure UP to the highest standard CT
her duty and with half a chance they
viii DO more to make the farm thrifty
than the man. 1t is much more economl-
cal to buy the pigs and pen them, than
to try to raise hogs unless pasturage is
plentiful.
Where a man owns his farm and has
land. he can fence for pasture, and SOW
patches of small grain and forage crops,
raising a few hogs each year. But breed
Ing and raising hogs on corn or other ex-
pensive methods of feeding is not a good
plan Breeding and raising hogs without
sufficient pasturage checks growth and
retards development, making the result
at the end of the year unsatisfactory. i
find it profitable keeping several soWs
with a. thoroughbred Berkshire boar 1T
the head of the herd. Without any ex-
ira feeding and pushing except such as
is found in woodland pasture and sew
eral small forage patches, l will kill an
abundance of meat this winter and have
on hand a quantity of pigs which Will
be disposed of during the winter. The
pigs narrowed in December and January
will make porkers for next winters kill
ing and the second filters are disposed
of to neighbors or put into the meat
market. From 10 to Il months is long
enough to carry a hog and at the end
of that time it should be made to weigh
from IT'S to 200 pounds which is heavy
enough for the best meat.
Success in pork raising, where atten-
ton is given, depends largely upon the
sire. cross by thoroughbred Berk
shire or Poland China boar on native
sow will give the most surprising re-
suits There is really no comparison be-
tween such pigs and the ordinary pigs
we find running about the country OF
au kinds Of colors and long faces ano
legs Raise hogs if prepared with pas
turage and small patches of forage crops.
If not, buy pair of pigs and pen them.
In any event raise enough meat and laro