Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-10-08
GROW LARD HOGS
IN north DAKOTA
FLickER1AlL STATE FARMERS
IN EXCEPTIONALLY GOOD
POSITION.
POSSIBILITIES or PORK pRoDUc.
.'' TON Is POINTED OUT
~ AN EXPERT.

BY f. j. Thompson, Asst. Prof. Ami
I NAL H%usbandery, N. d. Agri. COL,
in Dakota Farmer.
The fat or lard hog is a product OF
the cor1.producing area OF the United
States. He has been produced in this
area unsurpassed by any other part
of the world. He has ben fed corn
principally along with grass and has
made money for the farmer who has
raised him. However, all farmers who
have raised the fat or lard hogs have
not succeeded as well perhaps as they
might have done had they known they
could not produce prime pork on corn
alone.
In North Dakota We have conditions
this year that will allow many farm
ers to put their hogs on the market
to top the quality OF the hogs from
the corn belt, and do it as economic
ally as can be done anywhere.
The conditions mentioned here are
Theses. Young hogs at 4 months 81
age, being farrowea about April LIST,
have had an abundance of grass pas.
ture which is ideal for the best devel.
opment later in their lives. If the
feeder does what he should for his
hogs on grass he will feed some corn
or other grain along each day to fur.
nish the pig more nutrients than -e
cansecure in his grass diet and also
to help concentrate his ration. II
this is kept UP to the time in the pigs
life when he is six,t seven or eight
months of age he IN then a large pig
growy, strong, but not in any condi.
ton to market. He has built up his
frame and muscle work large enough
so that by feeding six weeks or two
months longer he can be finished off
on corr into the prime pork the mar
ket pays the long price for. This
last period is called the finishing or
fattening period: but this does moi
mean that the pig, which has been al
lowed to roam over q grass pasture
(for better still a clover pasture( and
been fed perhaps q pound or two
pounds OF corn or other grain in the
evening just to keep him growing fine
should be kept in an eight by ten foot
pen and stuffed on corn. He will not
do best under these conditions. He
wants some good clean soil to eat
every day as he had all the rest of his
life. We wants q 5O-yard straight
away where he can scamper and
shake up his intestines which are as
full as o city boy at grandmother's
on Thanksgiving day.
Now corn alone and o lot to scam
per in will not be all that is necessary
for finishing these hogs. They are
still to grow some and their growth
requires protein material and this pro.
tein material must be in excess OF
that found in the corn. Nothing could
be better than the clover field or the
alfalfa field, but as these are frosted
or covered with snow the Canadian
field peas can be used that should
have been threshed out some weeks
before. These should be ground for
best results and fed in slop. If this
slop could be made Of the fresh sep
arated milk SO much the better but II
1T cannot the hog is thankful for the
field peas and corn or the skim milk
and the corn, and they will show
their appreciation by laying on their
carcasses a pound to two pounds or
more Of fat and muscle each day.
The ration OF corn, should you have
it ground, and the field peas, which
ought to be ground, is very we'll mixed
and makes a good ration when about
five parts Of corr are fed with one
part Of pea meal mixed in q fairly
good slop. Should the feeder not have
the pea meal and has only the skim
milk it is well5to purchase shorts and
make a,.good slop Of the shorts and
milk and feed all the pigs will clean
up without leaving the trough. We
find the pigs like the slop Of this kind
very much and We feed our corn, II
shelled, on Q door, some twenty or
thirty minutes before putting the slop
before them.
Some feeders overfeed hogs and do
not know why their hogs fail to do
best OF them. Hogs fed twice q day
all they will clean up Of the above
mixture before they lie down to rest
will usually make economical gains
and come steadily upward In their
weight. When the feeder observes his
hogs leaving some Of the food given
them and he wonders what's the mat.
tel, !f.Ael n active he Will think Of the