The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1906-09-26
TIE COMING HOG.
An Article That Should Interest Our
Farmer Friends.

An Article That Should Interest Our
Farmer Friends.
The thousands Of f,rners who are
9spe ciaily interested 10 porcine pur-
suits will oe pleased to learn that
something out OF the cldinazy Is 60
ing on il India "a. About ten years
age q 3 1osier picked up t~o pies IL
Pennsylvania which struck him as
odd, ana proughl them homo foi az
experiment.. The peculiarity OF these
pigs vas that they had hoofs IKE a
muIc-ac splits, but just ore Solsa
foot. Another feature that strucK
the wandering Hoosier farmer was
that mis- purchase, as they greT Iare-
er, looked 81 ;pic!uusly Ik= razo.. bacKs,
the long snouts being especially COZ
soicuous. This led 20 an 1nVestlga-
zion OF genealogical nature that was
at first not rsassuring, as wild. eyeo
rumor was run down to the effect anau
these pokers With the queer peosl e1-
tremitjes originated in Arkansas Vera
cious cbron1clers insist snat the orig1.
nal rszor-back ran wild alorg Bee
river and through the cenebrakes OF
the lowlands, and they trsce inc
''mule-foot" In a direct line to these
nlebetan forefathers. However this
nay be. IL is matter OF pig history
that the Arkansas farmers rounn up
whst they call ''mule-foot" hogs
much she same as they hunt Sir Key
nard Foz-with does, rdss aud cluos
In fact, it is a favorite anusement 20
orsanne into expeditions and pursue
fleet.footsd 'mule-foot' as he scamp.
ers like dear through the Businesses
bordering the bayous. ltseens, now
ever, that the mule. foot, like nos )
other animals, may be improved o.
changing his environments for the bet
ter, and when sintroduced to the lus
cious Hoosler clover and the mammoth
corn ears of the White river bottoms
ne sheds lot OF his rustic character
istics and becomes more civilized. He
retains his long nose, however, and
his peda! arade mark. He cultiVaSes
better tsble manners, as 1t we're, ano
absnds rs the dlsp osition to hight on
the sill .:htest proyccation Toe Var'-
ETY. being cultivated In Indiana are as
black as Stygian night and have the
reputation OF being good 1attenefs,
those who have been experimenting
With the breed declaring that they
are money makers. 1n this respect
they are said TO beequsl to Durocs,
Chester Whites OF Poland Chinas. Il
the we'll authenticated stories coming
In may be accepted, the mule. feet
are marvals as weight-nakers. In
fact, some Of the figures are stagger-
ing. A farmer living near Eiinburg,
Ind, recently sold three-yesr Old
that tipped the beam at 720 pounds
| Another breeder, In sne same nsigh-
bornood, had q two-year-old not long
AGO that made the scales show $50
pounds. Last winter one OF the sors
of the same owner pulled down go
pounds, while four Others, at the saEe
killing averaged $50 pounds each.
The owner OF this herd, who is the
leading breeder Of the variety, says
they require little atteutioD, which
makes tnem possess another V.luab e
point fer the farmers intsrssted Il
hog raising.
But the most important thing re-
mains to be told about the mule
feet" They are immune to that dread
disease which, In the words OF the
ten perance orators about the run
traffic, 'aanually destroys" Thousands
and thousands CT the most promising
porkers: Cholera has besn pig prob
lem ever sincs Noah's cruise ended !:
and fortunes have ias e -ctiVely beef
Isred for a sure cure, but this, aid
ed by the eff nts Il all tie animsl
doctors for centuries, has failed t.
1ipe cut the disease. Tue "mu;e-foot,
however, unlike the rest OF the pork
family. never catches this complaint
Traits acquired in his original tsbi5
at, or his constitutional construction,
have made him proof against this
scou7age OF the rorcine race. The fact
that mule. feet" hogs are not addict
ed to the cholera habit. diaease SC
popular with tie ordinary hog. gives
than an especial interest in the eyes
Of the animal scientists. Experiments
along that lire hsvs been made by e1
pert veterinarians during the last fsW
years. ard they are still at a loss for
sn explanation. That they are i'm.
mune from cholera however, has been
proved ccnclusiVely. Recently as a
test, a sixty. pound shoat was placed
in pen with herd ct dfocpirg,
cholers.s stricken hogs. The mule
foosn lived on, contended with bis lot,
while the remaining members Of the
herd went on their sorry way to hog
heaven. Another test was that OF
placing thirteen tullydeveloped mule
feet" in a lot with forty ordinary pigs
that were threatened with cholera
The forty gradually went to rest,"
while the ''mule-faet' were never
touched. The cholera.proof mule
FOOT hog thus bsA s science. There
have been scores OF explanations, bu:
none has satisfied the farmers. The
principal and most experienced brsso-
er of the variety, after q close study
OF his herd in an effort to solve the
''muIe-foot's" disregard for the arct
eneny OF the pig family, when con-
suited on the sutjsct. only shakes his
head and says: Il don't know wh,
shey don't have it, but they don't.
That's all there is to it," II 1t turns
cut to be q fixed characteristic, there
can be little doubt that this type Of
hog will become immensely popular
With breeders and eyen.uslly bs IL
general use. #, Ia addition to nee ding
little attention, fattening well and
growing to grest weight, he Is abls
to present such certificate OF char.