The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-10-13
SWINE IN NEW ENGLAND.
Points About Their care-How They
Can Aid in Restoring the Soil.

ing on nearly every farm and these,
with what calves are raised, take the
skim milk OF the dairy, writes H. Leigh
Hunt of Vermont in the American Gull
tiyator. Here and there one finds a
farmer who goes into the business more
extensively, raising his own pigs, and
numbers to be sold at four weeks Of
age to those who prefer to buy rather
than raise them
Usually these farmers have easy ac-
cess to some cheap by-product, like but.
termilke from the creamery, pomaee
from cider mill, or something OF that
nature. The waste from a slaughter
house is utilized sometimes, A butcher
will slaughter his animals on some farm
not too remote from village. The
farmer supplies quarters and suitable
facilities for doing this work, and has
the waste in payment. Hogs and hens
flourish on this waste, and it adds great
~ to the fertility OF the farm. These
opportunities are, however, not numer-
Gus enough to afford many chance TO
use them.
There is no great margin Of profit in
the ordinary run of hog raising, more
than in any other line Of farming, but
as factor in keeping the fields in
good fertility the hog deserves much
more credit than it usually gets. The
average barn cellar is not cemented
Unless much pains is taken to supply
absorbents and keep the manure well
worked over. much Of the value is lost.
Even with eemented floors the quality
of the fertilizers is better and the sani.
tary conditions OF the barns better
when absorbents are used. and hogs mix
the mass thoroughly. In up-to-date sta
bles Of course the manure is not sup
posed to accumulate for many days at
a time, but as matter OF fact il does
accumulate for months at a time in
the easements Of the greater number of
barns in New England. Perhaps New
England Is not so very much different
from other sections in regard to this
matter | surmise that she isn't.
Noting vii put this accumulation into
such good condition as Co keep a brood
SOW or two on H. or a few hungry
shotes. The brood sows do not require
to be heavily fed; indeed. they are bet
ter off without. II among the absorb
ents used. some contain vegetable mat.
ter, such as weeds, turf, fallen leaves,
etc, the sows will delight in hunting
out every edible part and devouring it.
The litter from the horse stable usually
is attractive to them, aud they will work
il over aud over in great contentment
Some farmers that ! know estimate that
their brood sows pay for their keeping
in the additional amount and improved
quality Of the fertilizers produced
Nearly all the swine kept here are quar-
tered in the barn cellars.
One point is often overlooked in their
care. Swine kept in barn cellar should
have fresh air and clean water, particu-
larly in warm weather. II has often
been a subject OF wonderment 10 me that
eastern hogs, shut in filthy, unyentilat-
ed barn cellars, were so universally
healthy as they are Disease among
them is much more rare than in sec.
tions where hogs are pastured for the
the greater part Of their lives. If the
cellars are kept open on orc side during
warm weather and the hogs have plenty
Of bedding and all the drink they care
for, they are as comfortable as possible.
They are sheltered from the direct rays
of the sun, and one hardly ever gets
sick. It entails more labor to keep them
indoors through the summer but they
pay for this labor in the fertilizer pro-
duced and it need hot cost any more
to feed the1a In order to get profit
from them in ordinary times, some pains
must be taken to feed az NUN as may
be of inexpensive food,
Much is written about growing pas
ture for swine and turning them into
it to harvest it themselves. The hogs
enjoy this, and it looks easy, but better
returns are received to harvest these
crops and feed them systematically. III
turned into the field they do not work
it evenly. They viii grub up parts of
it and fertilize it heavily and other parts
will not be worked much. 1t is better
to cut and feed this to them in stated
amounts regularly and, keeping them
well, bedded have the fertilizer where it
can be placed where most needed. Not
many farmers in this section pasture
their hogs, and those who do usually
simply turn them temporarily into an
old orchard or piece of rough pasture
for a short time. but on tie other hand
not half of them furnish absorbents
enough to get anywhere near the benefit
from them that they might.
When was kid, and trotted ahead
Of the corn planters dropping corn, each
hill of corn had under it generous
allowance of well rotted hog manure,
and how that corn did grow. Farmers
of that time said that corn should be
tasseled out by July 4. | haven't seen
any tasseled corn Fourth Of July for
20 years or more. But | have seen
other crops booming from the effect of
a liberal application Of hog manure, and
nothing that was ever tried on this farm
ever gave equal returns. It is quite
possible to manufacture large quantity
of this valuable fertilizer at small ex-
pense. and the farms all need all that
they can get of it. The hogs as
money crop pay as well as any other,
and they put back on the land the
greater part, II not all, that they take
from it.
This is something that the farmers
all over the country have got to take
into consideration more and more If
they would prosper. The virgin rich
ness made by hundreds Of years of de-
caying vegetable matter has been grad
ually depleted. Wastefully so in the
majority of cases. The COW and the hog
must be looked to, TO restore the fer
tilitu Of our soil. Hos kent alone will