Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-08-22
EXPERT TESTIMONY.
c. c. Pervier Gives Fine Address Be-
fore Farmers Institute.

given at Nhe Illinois farmers institute
held at Quincy was by c. c. Pefviei
of Sheffield, Bureau county, Illinois
He spoke from long and successful eX-
perience, and his methods are approved
by many of the best swine raisers
Following are some selections from his
address:
We ought to pay more attention to
the selection of nhe right type of feed
ers. regardless of breed. 1t took me
five years to bring up the average gain
per hog to thirty pounds per month
from birth to time of sale. If we have
forty young brood +sows we would select
for breeding stock the twenty which
have made the greatest growth and de-
velopment. 1t is very important to
have hogs that will grow rapidly and
mature early.
| Select those that are long In the
body, broad across the back. with good
hams and shoulders, and that stand
squarely upon their feet---not those
whose hind feet come close together or
extend forward under the body They
| should be straight on the top, side lines
and under lines. Do not keep breeding
stock that will not produce pigs that
| can be made to weigh 800 pounds al
| twelve months of age.
Use Variety Of Feed.
There should be variety of other
foods besides corn. Soy bean hay
makes a good feed and contains suffic-
| lent protein for brood sows. Glover hay
is also much relished, and alfalfa is
even better; every hog feeder should
have some alfalfa hay for winter use.
Il have obtained the best results by
feeding grain but twice a day and only
what the hogs will eat up clean at each
meal. Every basket or shovel of corn
is counted and if there is any left I'M
eaten in an hour or two the amount
is cut down at the next meal. In feed
ing too heavy there Is very large
waste of grain.
II regard 1t just as essential for the
hogs as for the steer that he should
have an abundance of pasture the year
around, il possible. The ideal hog
pasture is alfalfa or a mixture OF clo-
| yer, with an abundance of green feed
| throughout the season. With soy beans,
clover and rape, it is easily possible to
| have a succession of green feed until
| December have used rye and vetch
| in a successful experiment as winter
food These may furnish green food
almost the year around in central and
southeastern Illinois.
| Health, Comfort, Cleanliness.
| 81 believe it possible ITO keep ami
mails in such healthy condition that
| they will be able to resist disease.
Three things are absolutely essential:
Cfean feed, pure water, and dry. com
Portable sleeping quarters. Their food
ought to be just as clean as that of
any other animal, except in the case
of hogs following cattle. Neither a hog
nor steer can stand out in zero
weather and SILVER while eating with
out loss of flesh and loss of profit
The feeding floor should, if possible.
be on The south side of the building. IT
necessary. put up protection six feet
high on the west. and north to make the
hogs comfortable while eating. Keep
the floor perfectly clean, or otherwise
you might just as we'll feed upon The
ground. This will be easily accom-
plished if the feeding floor is IS or 100
feet from the sleeping quarters. Never
feed in the shade.
Hogs drink often but little at a. time,
and it is absolutely essential THAT they
have all the water they want and
whenever they want, day and night.
have arranged cement barrels in the
ground, with cement troughs on either
side, so the dirt cannot get into the
barrels, and a tank heater in one bar
rel keeps the wa \r constantly open in
the coolest weather.
Ventilate Sleeping Quarters.
"Under no circumstances should pigs
be allowed to sleep In straw stacks or
manure piles, or in any place where
they will get steamy or sWeaty; under
such conditions they will become I'M
thrifty and will not pay for the feed
they eat. Sleeping places should be
we'll ventilated and the bedding
changed at least once a week 1 pre-
fer slough hay for bedding, tho have
cat straw or shredded fodder.
81 keep wood ashes before the pigs
all the time, and consider them es-
sential to the development of and,
strength Of bone. We have often made
mistakes in thinking we can breed for
bone. To make a self-feeder for wood
ashes, take a dry goods box and put a
sloping bottom on the.inside of it, and
then build trough next to the ground,
leaving enough space for the ashes to
work down into it. Put a hinged COW
err on the box and fill with ashes and
salt (four quarts of salt to a bushel
of ashes); let the pigs have free access
to it all the time. l believe coal ashes
are constipating.
Il think it necessary to retain flesh
on the brood SOW by heavy feeding
during the sucking period, but the
feed must be gradually increased for
two or three weeks after narrowing, to
reach this full feeding. The feeding
of very nutritious Stops too soon after
the pigs are narrowed creates flow of
milk too fast for the young pigs. caus-
ing them to scour. One reason why |
defer the narrowing season until May
is that the brood sows may run on the
grass two or three weeks before far
rowing time: nothing viii put them in
better condition"
Discusses Hog Raising.
Mr.. Pervier also spoke on The
Practical Raising Of Hogs" He said
in part:
October 80, 1903 we weighed II
head OF shoats. These were May pigs.
an even lot, averaging 1903 pounds
apiece; a month later they averaged
145 pounds, showing an average gain