The Huttig news., 1908-01-18
POINTS IN PORK RAISING.
The South Has Great Advantages For
 Gro.9ing Hogs.


 mites for the production of first-class market hogs. While there are some drawbacks, the most serious one, which is swine sickness, can be elim- mated to a great extent by proper sanitation and management. And right here there is no safer rule to follow than, "Use preventive measures in- stead of curative ones." The hog is an animal which positively will not re- spond to treatment, and especially is this true when compared with other kinds of live stock Entire droyeS of hogs have been taken off by disease, when other men nearby used proven tive measures and survived the plague. This was not simply luck; it was question of proper feeding, care and management Certain feeds, for example, have tendency to weaken a hog constitutionally, and thus he is less able to ward off disease. A hog fed continually on corn grows small, weak bone, soft and flabby muscles, and does not obtain his full size. This possible may be breeding animal, and as a result the weakness is hand ed down to the offspring, and often- times the fault is there multiplied. able to take proper exercise or rustic for himself. This possibly may bring on disease. At any rate, exercise is too often not given it's full value. This is especially true in case of breeding animals and of young and growing pigs. It is one valuable measure to be used in preventing disease.
 In the feed, care and management of swine there are certain funda- mental principles which hold true, no matter what our condition may be. In the first place, we must provide ourselves with strong, vigorous ami mals to start with, either high-grade or pure bred, always giving the best success. Then we must provide feeds which contain the proper material for building up the various parts of the body; and not only th;s, but we must know at what age these certain kinds of feed must be given. These two things are all-important, and it will depend to decided extent upon them whether man actually makes a profit from raising hogs. Another important question is that of care and manage ment which has to do with such things as regularity in feeding, time of feeding, caring for the SOW and her litter, providing shelter, saving of the young things and providing pasturage and plentiful supplies of good pure water. If the above things are care fully attended to, and at the right time, there is no reason why every man so doing can not make swine rais- ing profitable.
 In the actual breeding, raising and marketing of hogs-it is a settled qaes- ton that it is most profitable to pro vide hog pasture of some descrip- tion. The pasture is especially valu able in growing the pigs from birth until the fattening period arrives; we are thus not only providing green feeds which aid in digesting other foods, but at the same time we are giving the young pigs plenty of exer- else to make strong bone, and at the same time using valuable measure in warding off disease.
 Contrast these conditions with ten or twelve brood sows and their lit- ters, housed in small, filthy, i'll venti- lated places. Is it any wonder that they contract diseases and spread it through the neighbordood? This is a just criticism, and even today in some of the prominent swine producing sec tion this method of management is used. It is gradually being replaced, however, by modern methods of swine growing.
 It is true that under southern con- ditions we have individual problems to work out. Such things as breeds, feeds and management are all vital in the hands of the swine grower. There is certainly bright future for the production of the hog, and one reason of this is because protein or muscle producing feeds are so easily and economically grown. Here is where we have a decided advantage over the Corn Belt producers. The two principle crops there are corn and hogs. Corn is the finishing feed for hogs, but not feed for producing growth. Too many times it is corn from birth to maturity The result is a small, weak animal, decreased in size and constitution. Remember the first thing to do is to grow a frame of good bone.
 The prominent essentials are CD Supply plenty of pasture or range. CD Start with strong, vigorous, growthy animals. (3) Feed young and growing animals on bone and muscle produc- ing feed. (4) Do not try to fatten tho animal until he is grown; yet do not have them too large; two hundred and fifty pounds is the handy weight animal (5) Give plenty of exercise to young stock; it strengthens them and tends to ward off disease.-R. s. Cur tiS Assistant Professor of Animal