The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1910-02-04
Senator owen on Hog Raising.

Calling on Senator r. L. owen. to-
day, asked him what was the most
important thing he thought Of that
would benefit the Oklahoma farmer?
To my surprise, he replied Raising
hogs intelligently" l said to him.
Senator what do you know about
raising hogs? I thought your "long
suit was finance and statecraft The
senators replied, the basis of state
craft and OF finance both will be
found in the proper guidance Of the
productive energies of the American
people
There Is no way In which the land
can be made more productive than
| by cultivatlng the land with view to
marketing Immediately the products
OF the land by feeding such products
to swine. I have given this subject
much consideration and am pursuing
this policy in systematic way on my
farm in Washington County"
"The first thing 10 be done Is to
have proper housing for the sows SO
that their young during the first three
weeks may be thoroughly protected
and Immediately thereafter they
should be systematically furnished
with clean drinking water and an
abundance Of aeculent food and the
land should be divided up into con-
venient small lots in which could be
raised bermuda, corn and COW peas.
wheat or rye and yetch, rape clover,
and peanuts soy beans ,chufas, and
sorghum, oats and alfalfa. having a
separate lot for each growing crop SO
that as these crops are ready to be
eaten they may be Immediately har-
vested on the ground by the hogs.
They should be furnished with plenty
of salt and with an abundance OF room
for exercise, and the crops should be
so planted as TO mature In successive
order, In order to furnish a continu-
Gus supply of abundant cheap food
II the Oklahoma farmers will pursue
this method they viii all become Wen
OFF"
IN YOU stop TO consider It you will
see that a SOW properly cared for will
farrow twice, and should average from
ten to twelve grown pigs by the end
Of the year taking one year with an
other This means an enormous in,
crease on the capital invested after
providing an abundant pay for the
work bestowed upon this matter"
Last September the secretary of
agriculture issued Circular No 30 on
Hog Raising In the South" which is
a splendid document, and ought to be
studied by every farmer in Oklaho-
ma"
Il regard the hardy bermuda IS the
most valuable grass IN Oklahoma, be.
cause II is more nutritious than timo-
thy, It is almost impossible to drown
It out by food. and it never does bet
ter than In dry weather, and should
be used In hog raising as feed lot
from which the hogs would radiate
to other lots for the reason that It
makes very vigorous turf and pre-
vents the hogs from miring IN wet
weather"
This grass should be sown from
the root and planted IN rows like corn
and cultivated, and will cost from five
to six dollars an acre 70 put IN right.
It should not be sown by the seed,
because the seed have a very low Vi
tallty. and when the young plant Is
shaded by weeds Il Is easily killed
understand the saltwater, experiment
station will furnish hardy bermuda
roots for a start. hope sometime to
have a model farm IN Washington
county where inexperienced farmers
may learn how money can be made out
OF a farm"