The Kemper herald. (Scooba, Miss.) 1875-1908, 1906-06-07
A writer in Texas farm paper says

/ that Hogs are the ai2nel DoDo
Friend" and well uses a page IN
telling of the why's and wherefores:
A portion of has article is as follows:
"Of the entire family of domestic
animals, the hog brings to the farmer
the greatest return, one year after
another, for the time and money eX-
pended upon it. Time was when lit
tie attention was paid by the average
farmer to the hog crop. A few head
of swine were considered necessity
in order to furnish a supply of ham,
bacon and lard for home use. Com
paratively few farmers looked upon
their pigstys as a source OF ready
money. The swine were kept in filthy
pens and fed on refuse, and little at
tention was paid to the improvement
of their quality. The name was the
synonym of sloth and filthiness, and
the idea that they would appreciate
sanitary surroundings and wholesome
food was never for a moment en-
| IpiJHl1eu, 1t 10 lClhol hSN'
that 'Ehogs are the easiest money that
the farmer Makes This is doubt
less true where a reasonable amount
of intelligent care is given to swine,
to their breeding, housing, feeding and
protection from disease. Of the first
Importance is the selection of breed
ing stock, in which too much care can
not be exercised. 1t has been sad
that the male is half the herd, but
this does not mean that as much care
should not be used in the selection OF
brood sows as in the choice of the
male. The characteristics of both
parents are likely to be reproduced In
their offspring and where both are
good individuals, then, and then only,
can litter of pigs Of good quality be
reasonably expected. Not all animals
however, transmit their best quail
ties to their offspring, and the pro
cess of selection should be kept up
constantly, those animals lacking IN
prepotency being culled out of the
breeding herd, regardless of their in
dividual good points. There are a
number Of breeds of swine which pos
sess the requisites for profitable mar
iet animals, and the selection of a
breed is largely matter of individual
taste The most popular hog IS the
one that can be made to weigh 2o0
to 300 pounds at one year old, and for
this reason the large breeds predom-
mate in this country. The tendency
in recent years has been to market
hogs at an earlier age, at the sacrl-
fee of weight, but in greater economy
in the cost of production. The bulk
IF hogs marketed now range from 200
to 25O pounds in weight, and the aver
age weight by years is only a little
over 200 pounds.
"In the care Of hogs, sanitation
and feeding play a conspicuous part,
The greatest drawback to the swine
industry is the disease commonly
known as cholera In the absence
Of dependable remedy for this dis
ease, the swine grower must largely
RELY on prevention. 1t has been dem
)nstrated that a herd of swine can be
kept immune from disease by proper
application of sanitary measures. The
quarters occupied by hogs should be
.lean, dry, we'll ventilated and fire.
1uently treated with some reliable dis
nfectant. The value of occasionally
dipping hogs in some solution whose
efficacy has been proven, has been
fully demonstrated. The dipping frees
hem from bacteria and vermip and
keeps them in a healthy condition,
which enables them to resist disease.
"The care Of brood sows at farrow-
mg time is a matter of more lmpor-
lance than is given it by many farm
,rs. The absence Of comfortable far
-owing houses frequently results in
;he loss of valuable litters. These
houses are not large, 6xS feet being
sufficient. Each house should be sur
'ounded by small yard to allow of
exercise. They may be mounted on
runners and moved from place to
olace. Experiments have shown that
,uch houses soon pay for themselves
IN the increased size of the litters
saved.
"Care should be exercised not to
,verfeed the brood SOW before farrow
ing time. Concentrated foods should
De fed sparingly. Too much corn is
harmful. Chopped clover or alfalfa
lay, bran, oats, peas, barley and roots
are desirable. Brood sows, as far
rowing time approaches, should be
we'll nourished, and if properly fed,
flesh is an advantage rather than a
aetriment. 1t is essential however,
sbat they should have sufficient exer-
cise to keep them in good condition.
"The feeding of pigs intended for
market should begin when they are