The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1907-11-28
PASTURE FOB HOGS.

The corn crop is worth more thar
the usua price per bushel and there
are farmers who will on this account,
curtail The number of brood sows that
they carry through the winter as well
as push off the pigs at light weights,
This will have an effect on the price
of hogs another year We have al
ways considered that the farmer should
raise comparatively the same amount
OF stock one year after another, and
that amount should be determined by
the capacity of the farm and the
farmer.
To attempt to raise more pigs than
the buildings will admit of successful
ly caring for, will mostly lead to loss
and IL some have been doing this or
trying to do so, it will be wise to cut
out a, part. But the farmer with
buildings to shelter and pasture for
feeding a given number should aim to
a that number on hand one year
with another. True, there will be years
when the profit is less han others, but
there should be none, and will
be If proper are is used, when the
profits Of feeding are beyond that of
selling the grain. The ravages of dis
ease may sometimes falsify this state
ment, but nothin~ else should.
The proper use of pasture will be
a great consideration the coming sea-
son If there Is not a good pasture
OF clover, blue grass or alfalfa, then
there should have been a patch sowed
to rye or IL no pasture is ready for
the pigs next spring then a piece OF
land sowed to the common grains will
be a very desirable addition to the
feed,for4 the pork producers. We would
sow all the grains usually raised in
our neighborhood mixed together and
SOW plenty of seed. The amount of
feed that the Minnesota Experiment
station grew from seed sowed aston
ished the writer some years ago
Dwarf essex rape sowed in the corn
makes good later feed, but it may be
sowed alone for earlier feeding. About
six or eight weeks after the sowing,
stock may be turned on. Many fields
have been fenced to hold hogs with
in h past year or two, but the cost
of wire fencing is now such that it
will pay to have much, IL not all, of
the farm fenced so that hogs will not
get off the place If allowed to clean
up what otherwise would be wasted.
If h hogs have not been used to
pastures n do not take to graz
ing, they may be fed away from their
usual feeding place across the pasture
and fed lightly! Water should be pro-
vided so that 1t is within reach at all
times. This can easily be done by
the use OF any n of several water
ing devices upon the market. Running
streams are not usually the best places
for watering hogs in the west, especi-
ally during the hot part of the sum-
mer.
While corn is, and will be the great
hog feed, there is so much waste in
feeding 1t exclusively hat the high
price of a crop occasionally may be
a great benefit to the farmer If it sets
his mind i'm motion looking for other
feeds to go with the corn, and grow
the hog. The farmer needs to feed
his brood sows something besides corn
and much has been written about feed
ing clover hay and more especially al
.falfa hay. Many corn belt farmers
consider this so much talk" but If
they will try it with good bright hay
they will see something that will re-
suit in much profit to their future hog
rearing.
Whatever the price Of hogs and of
feed the farmer n successfully
follow his vocation for a series of years
without hogs and he who tries to
down his stock when feed is high and
u ii up when corn falls upon the
market, will generally find himself with
hogs to sell when they are low on
the market and without any when the
price is up,