The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1907-03-01
such a flock by keeping records. And
consultation of such records will al
ways furnish indisputable facts.
Most Profitable Hogs for Washington.
(By G. McClelland)

is more profit in raising ten pigs from
one SOW than from two, because there
is a saving of the feed of one hog;
second, they are more docile and can
be loaded to drive to market with less
trouble. They are coarser boned and
will stand to drive a long distance
with much more flesh on than lighter
breeds, and it does seem to us that
those ranchers who have to haul
wheat long distances could feed 1t to
hogs and drive them in cool weather
to market, or to the nearest railway.
A Duroc we'll fed the first four months
and kept in a thrifty condition until
a year old will weigh three to four
hundred pounds, and If kept in a large
pasture or feed lot, will stand drive
to market as well as light boned
hog of 200 pounds at the same age.
From my experience, without actual
test, think they will make q better
growth for the feed consumed than
the Poland China Without crowding,
my pigs made an average OF over zoo
pounds in six months, and the best
one ESQ, and still he could handle him.
self we'll. I think he is the only pig
| ever saw that made gain OF IL
pounds per day under six months old.
| think the Washington farmer will
find it profitable to feed wheat to
good strain of Duroc Jersey hogs II he
keeps them thrifty. Doubtless there
is more profit to feed cheaper feed
along with wheat, but l would use
grain of some kind, enough to keep
the thrifty.
Now is the best time to commence
selecting the future breeding sows.
Keep an eye on the pigs that belong
to large filters, and keep as many OF
the SOW pigs as possible for future
breeders. The short and clumsy sows
are not good type to keep.
Every good stockman knows what 1t
means to get calf started right and
kept thrifty. The value of the calf as
a future dairy COW or beef steer will
depend upon it's thrift and growth dur
ing the first year. The changes from
mothers milk to skim milk and grain
rations should not be hurried. Grain
feed consisting of ground corn,
whole oats and bran, with plenty of
nice, bright clover hay, will make year
lings fit for anybody's feed yard. Blue
grass pasture should be had for feed
range both summer and winter.
Frank q. Goodman, who ranges on
the Colorado Utah line, has been run
ming sheep for twenty-five years In
| Utah, Colorado and Wyoming. His
ewes are a mixture of MerlnO, Cots
void and Shropshires. He says the
Shrops do not carry their wool well
on a brush range but are hrst-class
mutton sheep. He is breeding var1-
ously with some Shrops, some Cots
and some Merino bucks. He thinks
mixed breeds are much better Tor
range purposes than purebreds Cots
wolds and Lincolns make good cross
| with Merinos for lengthen1ng the
staple. He takes Cots or Lincoln ewes
and breeds them to Rambou1llet or
Delaine bucks and has raised wethers,
which sheared seventeen and eighteen
pounds of wool.
Byron Hunter, assistant agricultur-
list of the bureau Of plant industry,
writes that the department OF agri-
culture is receiving considerable in
curry for one of the bulletins recently
issued. under the title Forage Crop
Practices in Western Oregon and
Western Washington" People on the
coast, who may desire copy OF this
bulletin, can obtain it from the ex-
pertinent station at either Pullman,
Wash, or Corvallis, Ore, or request
may be sent to the department OF agri-
culture at Washington, D. c. The Cor
Wallis station issued large edition,
and part of this was sent to Pullman
for distribution among Washington
farmers. This Is farmers bulletin,