The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1910-04-22

We hive set apart a 40-acre piece
of land 80 rods square that we will in
the future use exclusively as a rota.
ton of hog pastures. AS indicated by
the accompanying illustration, the 40
acres Is divided into four equal sized
fields with a lane two rods wide be-
tween each field, leaving each field
exactly 1914 rods wide and so rods
long, writes L.. P. Martiny, in Home
stead. These four fields are inclosed
with a permanent fence. In our case,
raising hogs entirely for breeding pur-
poses, we use a owe wire fence
with nine longitudinal bars SO inches
high. All corner and end posts are Sc
cured in position by digging the post
hole in the ordinary manner to the
depth Of four feet. The post is then
put in position and the hole filled with
wet concrete mixed in the proportion
OF n part best Portland cement to
eight or ten parts of good, clean,
coarse gravel. This may seem like
q very small proportion of cement, and
It certainly would be for ordinary con-
crete work, but being in the ground it
cannot get away and forms a perfect
ly hard mass, which is all that is re-
CURED. We reinforce this concrete by
putting in a couple of coils of two to
three strands of old barb wire to hold
the whole mass intact, as 1t has a
tendency to crack or split by the great
strain we put on the post in stretch
ing the fencing. With the use of this
concrete we use no brace or brace
posts whatever to support the end
posts, thus simplifying the construc-
ton of the fence to a considerable ex-
tent. Besides the posts will be pre-
served longer in the concrete than if
placed in the soil.
Each field has six gates at equal dis
tances apart along one side Of the
pasture and a large post is set in con.
crete in the fence on the other side OF
the field. opposite each gate SO that
a temporary fence may be placed be.
tween one of the gate posts and the
post on the opposite side of the field,
thus sub-dividing each field as occa-
sion may demand. We aim to divide
our pigs so that there are not more
than 20 to 25 pigs in each lot.
Our plan of rotation is to have a
piece of new seeding Of a mixture of
timothy as a pasture for the pigs. In
the next lot we SOW Canada field peas.
which thrive very we'll in our climate
and soil. On our soil we prefer to
leave the land fall plowed. AS early
In the spring as the land is ready to
work we disk the land in good shape
and SOW the peas with a drill, at the
rate of 2h bushels per acre, drilling
them IN as deeply as possible and
finishing with a fine smoothing bar
row.
From the tenth to the fifteenth of
July the peas will be full grown and
the peas begin to harden. at which
time we turn the pigs into the field of
peas to hog then: off, still allowing
them the Il OF thu clover pasture.
This field Of peas with the addition of
d very little or no other feed will last
the pigs very nicely until about the
middle Of September, when the pigs
will be in a very thrifty condition:
showing great development of bone
And muscle on account OF the rich pro-
trin feed furnished them by the peas
IL the next field to the peas we
plant a rather early maturing variety
Of corn which will come to perfect
maturity by the middle OF September
o. Avsl OF October. This corn field
vii, be where We had the clover pas.
tu:e the year previous, which will put
Il in iiEc condition for the crop of
cora. We lay the corr by rather early
cu..ivatins it the last time soon after
the GTst o: July, ard sowing about five
pc4"us oi rape seed per acre at the
'aT cultivation. The pigs are turned
n he field of corr from September Is
to october ]. when they are in just
tie right condition e make very rapid
! aud cheap gains The rape In the